St. Johns County, FL Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

18 makes Domestic Hens an allowable accessory use in every residential zoning district in unincorporated St. Johns County, but it isn't a by-right add-on: it requires a Non-DRC site plan review before the coop goes in. 06, the county's special-exception process. Roosters are banned outright, and so is every other kind of backyard fowl the code lists by name; ducks, geese, turkeys and peafowl are all prohibited under this section, so a resident can't substitute a duck run for a hen coop and stay compliant.

The coop itself has real placement and construction rules. It has to sit behind the line formed by the back wall of the house, meaning no coops in front or side yards visible from the street, and it must be at least fifteen feet from any side or rear property line while staying closer to the owner's own residence than to the neighboring house. The structure, whether a fixed coop or a portable chicken tractor, cannot be built into or attached to the residence or garage, must be fenced and ventilated, and cannot exceed six feet in height measured from natural grade.

Hens must be locked inside the coop overnight and can only range in the attached pen or run during daylight hours. The code also requires rodent- and predator-proof feed storage and a standing duty to keep the coop clean enough that odor, noise or pests never rise to a nuisance.