Winter Haven Code Sec. 5-10 prohibits keeping, harboring, boarding, or maintaining horses, cattle, hogs, fowl, or other livestock within the city limits. Backyard chickens are not allowed in Winter Haven as of 2026, though residents have petitioned for change.
Sec. 5-10 (Chapter 5 - Buildings and Building Regulations, livestock provisions) makes it unlawful to keep livestock or fowl within Winter Haven city limits. The ban is broad - it covers chickens, ducks, peafowl, goats, sheep, hogs, cattle, and horses. A 2025 grassroots push asked the City Commission to amend Sec. 5-10 to allow a limited number of backyard hens (no roosters), but as of June 2026 the code change has not been adopted. Residents on properties in unincorporated Polk County (just outside the city limits) may keep chickens under Polk County Code Ch. 4, which requires pens be set back at least 50 feet from neighboring property lines. Verify your address against the City Service Lookup Map (https://mywinterhaven.com/360/Service-Look-up-Map) before purchasing birds.
Violation of Sec. 5-10 is enforced through Code Compliance citations and the Special Magistrate process under Ch. 1 (Sec. 1-13) general penalty and FS Ch. 162 - typical fines of up to $250 per day until the livestock are removed.
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