10 rules for unincorporated Seminole County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
Keeping backyard chickens is now permitted by right in certain zoning districts of unincorporated Seminole County. The old permit-based Backyard Chicken Program was repealed in 2024; chickens are now governed by the Land Development Code zoning rules.
In unincorporated Seminole County it is unlawful to let animals run at-large, and all dogs must be leashed when walked off the owner's property. A leash over eight feet is presumed not proper restraint near a person or animal.
Seminole County Code Sec. 20.17(b)
All dogs must be under restraint by a leash when being walked off the dog owner's property. There is a rebuttable presumption that a dog is not under restraint or within the owner's direct control when the leash length exceeds eight (8) feet and in the presence of a domestic animal or person.
Seminole County has no breed-specific ban. Dangerous-dog rules are behavior-based: a dog is "dangerous" if it meets the Florida Statutes definition or is declared dangerous after an incident, regardless of breed.
Seminole County Code Sec. 20.01 (definition)
Dangerous dog: A dog defined as dangerous in Section 767.11, Florida Statutes, as this statute may be amended from time to time, or that has been declared dangerous by the Animal Control Official or the Animal Control Board. Dogs that have been declared dangerous by another jurisdiction are also considered to be dangerous dogs in Seminole County.
Seminole County cannot regulate registered honeybee colonies. Florida Statute 586.10 preempts beekeeping regulation to the state Department of Agriculture, so you register hives with the state rather than the county.
FS 586.10(1)
The authority to regulate, inspect, and permit managed honeybee colonies and to adopt rules on the placement and location of registered inspected managed honeybee colonies is preempted to the state through the department and supersedes any related ordinance adopted by a county, municipality, or political subdivision thereof.
Exotic and wild animals are regulated by the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), not the county. Class I wildlife generally can't be kept as pets, Class II and many Class III species require an FWC permit.
Seminole County Code Sec. 20.23
Such animals of wild or exotic nature, so classified by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as requiring specific pen or enclosure, must be caged in accordance with the Commission's regulations.
Feeding wildlife that creates a nuisance is prohibited under Florida law. Intentionally feeding bears, or leaving food or garbage that attracts them, is banned statewide with escalating penalties starting at a $100 civil fine.
FS 379.412
For a first violation, commits a noncriminal infraction, punishable by a civil penalty of $100.
Livestock keeping in unincorporated Seminole County is governed by the Land Development Code's zoning districts — generally allowed on agricultural zoning (A-1, A-3, A-5, A-10, A-20). Florida's Right-to-Farm Act protects established farm operations.
Seminole County has no standalone hoarding ordinance, but excessive animals in unsanitary conditions are addressed through care standards, nuisance rules, and Florida's animal-cruelty statute (FS 828.12).
Seminole County's animal code sets no fixed maximum number of dogs or cats per household. Instead, keeping too many animals is controlled through nuisance, care-standard, and commercial-kennel licensing rules.
Cats are covered by the same at-large, restraint, tethering, and rabies rules as other animals. Cats must be vaccinated against rabies, and a fixed-point tether can't be used to confine a cat between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Seminole County Code Sec. 20.39
A fixed-point restraining device shall not be used to confine a dog or cat outdoors between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., and may be used for no more than one (1) hour per day with the direct supervision of the owner or custodian.
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