Orlando, FL Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

19, anyone keeping chickens in Orlando needs a Backyard Chicken permit; the fee is set by Council resolution, and if the applicant isn't the fee-simple owner, the owner must sign off. Only up to four chickens are allowed, only at an occupied single-family residence, no ducks, geese, turkeys, peafowl, roosters, pigeons or other fowl, and no chickens at duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, multifamily properties or community gardens. Birds must stay inside a covered coop, chicken tractor or fenced pen at all times; the enclosure must be secured against predators with hardware cloth (chicken wire doesn't qualify), kept clean, and free of accumulated manure, insects and rodents.

Odors can't be perceptible at the property line. 19's accessory-structure standards require the coop to sit in the rear yard only, at least 20 feet from any neighboring home, 5 feet from the principal structure, and 5 feet from any property line (0 feet is allowed against a masonry wall in a non-residential district); the coop itself must be under 50 square feet and tied down for wind. Composting of chicken manure is allowed only in an enclosed bin kept at least 20 feet from all property lines.

Selling chickens, eggs, feathers or manure, breeding, and on-site slaughter are all prohibited, birds are for personal use only. Permit applicants must submit site photos, a survey/site plan, and proof of completing a University of Florida Agricultural Extension class (or an equivalent the planning official approves) before the planning official signs off.