Animal Ordinances in Palm Coast, FL (2026)
7 verified animal ordinances for Palm Coast, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
On December 16, 2025 the Palm Coast City Council unanimously adopted Chapter 8, Article III, Section 8-100 of the City Code, formally allowing residents to keep up to four (4) hens on a permitted single-family property. Roosters are expressly prohibited. The ordinance, which followed a successful 50-resident Backyard Chicken Pilot Program launched May 13, 2025, requires an application and a $50 permit fee through the City's online permitting portal at palmcoastgov.com/building under 'Homeowner Permitting.' Eligibility is limited to homesteaded, single-family detached properties; rental properties are excluded unless the owner provides written approval, and properties within Homeowners Associations are excluded entirely (HOA covenants in most Palm Coast subdivisions continue to bar fowl).
Palm Coast Backyard Chickens (Ch. 8 Art. III Sec. 8-100)
Some RestrictionsDog Leash Laws
Section 8-31 of the Palm Coast City Code (Chapter 8, Article II - City of Palm Coast Animal Control Regulations) imposes one of the stricter leash regimes on Florida's First Coast. Every animal off the owner's property must be on a physical leash NOT EXCEEDING EIGHT (8) FEET in length; voice command alone is NOT a permissible substitute for a leash, even for a trained dog. Dogs may not be left loose in the open bed of a pick-up truck. Owners must remove feces deposited by their animal on any property other than their own. Three full-time certified Animal Control Officers in the City Code Enforcement Division (386-986-2520) enforce these rules and may capture any animal that is not leashed and not on its owner's property.
Palm Coast Dog Leash & Restraint Rules (Ch. 8 Art. II Sec. 8-31)
Heavy RestrictionsBreed Restrictions
The City of Palm Coast does NOT and CANNOT enact a breed-specific dog ban or breed-specific permit/insurance/muzzle requirement. Florida Statute 767.14 (originally adopted 1990 and substantially strengthened by SB 942 effective October 1, 2023) preempts any local government ordinance that regulates dogs based on breed - it expressly prohibits the adoption of breed-specific legislation and the SB 942 amendment closed the grandfather clause that had previously allowed Miami-Dade County's pre-1990 pit bull ban to remain in effect. Palm Coast's dangerous-dog framework in Chapter 8 of the City Code therefore operates entirely on a conduct basis under Florida Statute Chapter 767 (Dogs), with the County and City sharing investigation duties for bite reports.
Palm Coast Breed Restrictions (FS 767.14 Preempts BSL Statewide)
Few RestrictionsBeekeeping
Backyard beekeeping is permissive in Palm Coast. Florida Statute 586.10 (effective July 1, 2012, as amended) preempts most local regulation of honey bee colonies that comply with FDACS Best Management Requirements - cities and counties may NOT enact ordinances that prohibit beekeeping or set inconsistent local rules. Florida Statute 586.04 separately requires every beekeeper to register their colonies with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Bureau of Plant and Apiary Inspection regardless of hive count, with renewal annually. Palm Coast's City Code does not contain a beekeeping section, so state law fully governs.
Palm Coast Beekeeping (FS 586.10 Preempts; FDACS Registration Required)
Few RestrictionsExotic Pets
Florida regulates exotic and captive wildlife on a STATEWIDE basis through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) under Florida Statute Chapter 379 and FWC rule Chapters 68A-6 and 68A-25. Animals are classified as Class I (lions, tigers, bears, leopards, cheetahs, gorillas, chimpanzees, baboons, crocodiles - private ownership PROHIBITED; only registered Class I exhibitors), Class II (cougars, bobcats, servals, wolves, hyenas, alligators, large macaques - permit required, $140-$300 fee, 1,000 hours of documented experience, secure caging), and Class III (most other captive wildlife - free no-cost permit required for non-exempt species). The Captive Wildlife Amnesty Day program operated by FWC accepts surrender of illegally held exotics without penalty. The City of Palm Coast does not have its own exotic-pet ordinance and relies on the FWC state framework.
Palm Coast Exotic Pets (FWC Captive Wildlife Classes I/II/III under FS 379)
Heavy RestrictionsWildlife Feeding
Florida bans the intentional feeding of multiple wildlife species statewide, and Palm Coast - sitting on the Atlantic coast adjacent to the Pellicer Creek Aquatic Preserve, Princess Place Preserve, and dense saltwater marsh and freshwater pond habitat - is squarely inside the enforcement zone. FWC Rule 68A-4.001(3) prohibits the feeding of black bears and Florida panthers; FWC Rule 68A-25.002 prohibits the feeding of alligators and crocodiles; FWC Rule 68A-13.004 protects sandhill cranes. Violations are second-degree misdemeanors under FS 379.412 and are aggressively enforced by FWC Law Enforcement (888-404-FWCC). Bird feeders for songbirds are not regulated; intentional feeding of nuisance wildlife (raccoons, foxes) can be cited by Palm Coast Code Enforcement under general nuisance provisions.
Palm Coast Wildlife Feeding (FWC Bans Alligator/Bear/Panther Feeding)
Heavy RestrictionsLivestock
The City of Palm Coast does NOT permit traditional livestock - cattle, horses, goats, sheep, swine, pigs - on residential lots inside the City limits. Chapter 8 of the Palm Coast City Code prohibits livestock-keeping in R-1, R-2, MFR, and other residential zoning districts, and the City's Land Development Code does not provide a residential 'agricultural use' carve-out. The December 16, 2025 Sec. 8-100 ordinance legalized backyard HENS (up to 4) but did NOT lift the prohibition on other livestock. Outside the City limits, unincorporated Flagler County allows livestock on parcels carrying an Agricultural (AC, AC-2, AC-3) zoning designation, with Florida Right to Farm Act (FS 823.14) protections for bona fide agricultural operations.
Palm Coast Livestock (Ch. 8 Prohibition in Residential Zones; FS 823.14 Ag Preemption Outside City)
Heavy RestrictionsLooking for Flagler County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Palm Coast city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Flagler County →