Port Orange, FL Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 10-20 lets an owner-occupied single-family lot keep up to five chickens, defined to include only hens since roosters are excluded from the definition entirely. No urban chicken permit is needed on property zoned agricultural (A), flood plain-conservation (F-C), or agricultural preservation (AP), but every other lot must obtain one from the community development department, which caps active permits at 30 citywide and runs a first-come, first-served waiting list once that cap is reached. Applicants must submit site photos and a property survey and complete a University of Florida Agricultural Extension class on keeping chickens or an equivalent approved course.

The coop, pen, and enclosure must sit in the rear yard behind the residence, be screened from adjoining properties with a six-foot opaque fence, and comply with the code's standard shed setbacks in Chapter 16, Section 3 of the Land Development Code. Coops must provide at least four square feet per bird, cannot exceed 50 square feet, must stand no taller than six feet and at least six inches lower than the screening fence, and must be secured against predators. Selling chickens, eggs, feathers, or manure, breeding, and on-site slaughter are all prohibited, and permits are personal to the holder and cannot be transferred.

The city may revoke a permit on seven days' written notice for any violation, though curing the violation within that window avoids revocation unless it is a repeat offense, in which case the city can revoke immediately. A denied or revoked applicant can appeal to the city manager within five business days and, from there, to the city council, whose decision is final.