Livestock is allowed in unincorporated Polk County. On residential lots under 1/2 acre the Land Development Code requires livestock to be contained within fenced areas and animal-waste storage kept 50 feet from neighboring residential property lines. Agricultural-zoned land has broader rights.
The Polk County Land Development Code allows horses, cattle, goats, swine, and similar livestock, with tighter containment rules on small residential lots. The standards apply to residential properties under 1/2 acre and exclude the A/RR, A/RRX, PM, and CORE Future Land Use districts. Livestock must be contained within fenced areas, and manure/animal-waste storage must be at least 50 feet from neighboring residential property lines. Enforcement is complaint-based - only a residential-property owner within 250 feet may initiate action. Bona fide commercial agricultural use (FS 193.461) is exempt from these residential provisions, so genuine farms and agriculturally zoned parcels operate under agricultural, not residential, standards.
Enforced through Polk County Code Enforcement as a Land Development Code matter; violators get notice and a cure period before Special Magistrate fines or abatement.
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See how Polk County's livestock rules stack up against other locations.
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