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

Marion County Land Development Code Sec. 6 (Ord. No. 17-08) governs the keeping of chickens in residential zoning classifications. A 'chicken' is defined as a female of Gallus domesticus (a hen) and excludes any male chicken or rooster and any duck, goose, turkey, peafowl, guinea fowl, or other poultry or fowl. The number of chickens may not exceed six, roosters are prohibited, and duplex, townhome, multi-family, and similar units are prohibited from keeping chickens. Hens must be contained within a covered, fully enclosed coop from dusk to dawn and within a coop or fenced pen the rest of the time, located in the side or rear yard behind the principal structure; the coop and pen must be set back 20 feet from any adjacent residential principal structure.

Stored feed must be secured in metal containers, no routine slaughtering is allowed on site, and hens are for personal use only with no on-site retail sale of eggs, manure, or hens. For larger animals, Sec. 6 provides that in RR-1, RE, and any classification permitted by special use, horse keeping requires a minimum pasture of 9,000 square feet for the first horse and 6,000 square feet for each additional horse, with horses not exceeding four per acre (foals excepted until weaned). 'Livestock' is defined in Marion County Code Sec. 4-2 to include all animals of the equine, bovine, or swine class, including goats, sheep, mules, horses, hogs, cattle, ostriches, and other grazing animals.