Martin County, FL Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Martin County's Land Development Regulations split animals into two groups, and chickens land in the stricter one. Section 3.206.A defines household pets as dogs, cats, birds, and similar animals commonly kept within, or in close proximity to, a residence, and then specifically excludes barnyard animals such as pigs, goats, sheep, horses, cows, and poultry. That exclusion matters because the household pet allowances in § 3.206.B (four pets on a lot of one-half acre or less, six on a lot of one acre or less, ten on a lot of more than one acre) never reach a hen. A backyard flock is treated as livestock, not as a pet.

Section 3.206.D then says where barnyard animals can be kept or boarded. Apart from horses, the only places are the AG, AR, A-1A, A-1 and A-2 districts, and only as part of an approved agricultural use, or the RE-2A district as provided in § 3.201.C.5. The AG-20A district is titled General Agricultural, the AR-5A and AR-10A districts are titled Agricultural Ranchette, and RE-2A is titled Rural Estate. The RE-1A, RE-½A, RS and RM residential districts and the MH-P mobile home park district do not appear in that list, so poultry and other barnyard animals cannot be kept there.

RE-2A is the one district where a homeowner without an agricultural use approval can keep chickens. Section 3.201.C.5.a allows the raising of barnyard animals such as pigs, goats, sheep, cows, and poultry, provided the animals are not raised for commercial purposes. A flock raised for commercial purposes falls outside that provision.

Horses are carved out of the barnyard rule. Under § 3.206.E they are kept only in districts that allow commercial or private stables. Private stables are an accessory use in the AG, AR, RE-2A, A-1A, A-1 and A-2 districts under § 3.201.C.4.c, and any building sheltering horses must sit at least 50 feet from every property line. Commercial stables need a lot of at least five acres under § 3.101.A and carry the same 50 foot setback.