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

Section 13-561 applies to agricultural and rural residential zones and converts animal counts into Animal Unit Equivalency: one mature horse, donkey, mule, llama, cow, steer, bull or swine equals one AUE, three miniature horses, donkeys, miniature cattle, alpacas, goats or sheep under three hundred pounds each equal one AUE, and five miniature goats equal one AUE. For parcels under ten acres, density is computed using the actual confined area rather than the parcel's full acreage, and offspring are not counted as additional animals until they reach three months old or can live independently, at which point they must be relocated within thirty days unless the confinement area can absorb them without exceeding the allowed density.

No site may keep livestock or poultry at all without at least one acre of fenced pasture or pen, unless the operation qualifies as a bona fide agricultural exemption under state statutes. Where densities require special use approval, a fifty-foot buffer separates the animal confinement area from adjoining residential, commercial or institutional property lines, and shelters, pens or corrals temporarily housing more than five livestock or ten poultry must sit at least two hundred feet from any adjoining residence and at least one hundred feet from the property line of adjoining residential, commercial or institutional land. Household pets are exempt from the section entirely, and licensed alligator farms operating under state rules are also exempted.