Citizens Guide to Where Chickens May be Kept in Sarasota County

Can I legally keep chickens in Sarasota County?

 Do Some Research

In order to find out what chicken rules apply to you in Sarasota County, you need to know several things: whether you live in a city or the unincorporated county, and what zoning district are you in. To find out go to the Sarasota Property Appraiser’s website and enter the street address or property owners name. Then click on SEARCH at the bottom of the form. You’ll see a list on the right that describes various aspects of your property, including LAND AREA (area of your lot in square feet) MUNICIPALITY (if you live in a City with its own, separate rules) and ZONING.

 Do you Live in One of Four Cities?

If the MUNICIPALITY says City of Sarasota, North Port, or Venice, you can have chickens pursuant to their rules. Venice is actually silent on the subject, but does say it "is unlawful for any person to allow chickens . . . or other domestic fowl to run at large within the city."  So be considerate -- no roosters and respect your neighbors. If it says Town of Longboat Key, the answer is no backyard chickens If it says Sarasota County you will be governed by Sarasota County rules. Make a note of your zoning code.

                       Do you Live in a Mandatory Homeowner Association Neighborhood?

 Before going further, figure out if you live in community with a mandatory homeowners association (HOA). These are the places that have mandatory annual fees and which can put a lien on your house if you don’t mow your lawn or follow other rules you agreed to. The rules in these mandatory HOA’s take precedence over the County rules and you are governed by them and you need to consult those rules. If you live in a traditional neighborhood with no neighborhood association or a voluntary one, the County or City rules will apply.

 Unincorporated Sarasota County Zones RSF, RE-2, RE-3, and RC 

If your zoning code is any of the following: RSF, RE-2, RE-3, and RC you will now be allowed to have up to four hens. Go forward to the section summarizing the rules that apply. If you are in OUA or OUR you can have more. 

County OUE Zoning

If your property is zoned OUE, things are a little trickier. You need to determine your neighbor’s zoning. Back on the Property Appraiser’s website, click on MAP to see your property’s dimensions and your adjoining lots. As you click on surrounding lots a box will come up with some info, click on the Property Detail Page to see what your neighbors’ zoning is and make a note.

If you have an OUE parcel five acres or greater, then there is no limit on the number of chickens and you have a fifty foot setback for the coop. (To convert your parcel’s area in square feet to acres, divide by 43,560) If your OUE parcel is less than five acres and you are adjoining other OUE properties, then you have a fifty foot setback for the coop. If any adjoining properties are residential (RE, RSF, RH, RMH) then for those parcels you have a hundred foot setback for the coop and the birds when they are out of the coop. You only have to meet the greater setbacks adjacent to RE, RSF, RH, and RMH zoned properties. So if your side neighbors are OUE, use the 50 setback, but if your back neighbor/s is/are RE, RSF, RH, or RMH the coop and hens will have to be 100’ back.

So if you are zoned OUE and your side neighbors are also OUE (and assuming you have a rectangular parcel and your coop is no more than 6 feet wide), any lot wider than 106’ will work. If your have back neighbors zoned RE, RSF, RH, or RMH, the coop and chickens will have to be set back 100’ to be legal.

 More on OUE and RE1

The Sarasota County Zoning Administrator wrote to say: “What we are essentially trying to do is say if you are OUE, RE1, you are not restricted in the number of chickens that you can have.”

Small Non-conforming OUE Lots

If you have a nonconforming OUE lot less than one acre in size, then the verbiage in 5.3.1.a.8 (see Ordinance 2016-044) kicks in and you will be treated as any other nonconforming lot, which means you would conform to the closest zoning district similar in use which will be an RSF lot.

RULES for RSF, RE-2, RE-3, and RC ZONING DISTRICTS

The keeping of chickens is allowed if the following standards are met:

1.   No more than four (4) chickens may be kept, with roosters prohibited;

2. No person shall slaughter any chickens;

3. The chickens shall be provided with a movable covered enclosure (i.e. "hen house/coop") and must be kept in the covered enclosure or a fenced enclosure at all times. Chickens must be secured within the movable henhouse/coop during non-daylight hours;

4. The space per bird in the henhouse/coop shall not be less than four (4) square feet per bird;

5. No covered enclosure or fenced enclosure shall be located in the front yard or side yard, nor shall the henhouse/coop be closer than ten (10) feet to any property line of an adjacent property, nor within twenty-five (25) feet of any adjacent residential structure. [OUE setbacks can be greater – see above] Odors from chickens, chicken manure, or other chicken related substances shall not be detectable at the property boundaries;

6. All enclosures for the keeping of chickens shall be so constructed and maintained as to prevent rodents or other pests from being harbored underneath, within, or within the walls of the enclosure. The henhouse/coop must be impermeable to rodents, wild birds, and predators, including dogs and cats. Enclosures shall be kept in neat condition, including provision of clean, dry bedding materials and regular removal of waste materials. All manure not used for composting or fertilizing shall be removed promptly;

7. All feed and other items associated with the keeping of chickens that arelikely to attract or to become infested with or infected by rodents or other pests shall be kept in secure containers or otherwise protected so as to prevent rodents and other pests from gaining access to or coming into contact with them;

8. The sale of eggs or any other chicken products generated is prohibited.

9. Nothing in this subsection shall affect any homeowner association declarations or restrictions.

10. Chickens that are no longer wanted by their owners shall not be taken to

Animal Control, nor shall they be released. Unwanted chickens may be taken to Health & Human Services Mosquito Control Division for utilization in the Sentinel Chicken Program.

11. These provisions shall sunset on January 1, 2019, unless reviewed and saved from repeal, through reenactment by the Board of County Commissioners. In the event that this ordinance sunsets, the keeping of any previously allowed chickens shall be considered a nonconforming use for five years thereafter.

Sarasota Chicken Train Leaves Station

Sarasota County’s backyard chicken train left the station today (May 10 2016), but not before being slowed down and having some extra stops and baggage added. It is now expected to arrive in late September or early October.

Commissioner Mason, eager to see the languishing hen issue resolved before she leaves the Board in November, brought the matter up, trying to gain support to draft and advertise an Ordinance based on the success in the City of Sarasota. 

But Commissioner Robinson redirected the three Commissioners present (Commissioner Caragiulo had to attend to a matter in Sarasota) to the staff report recommendation that included an added “outreach” provision. Mason withdrew her original motion and moved the staff recommendation, which ultimately passed 4-0, but not before a few concerns were raised.

Here's the staff recommendation: Should the Board recommend the implementation of a "backyard chicken" ordinance, similar to the City of Sarasota's, staff will schedule workshops for both North and South County, as well as facilitate discussion with neighborhood associations such as the Council or Neighborhoods Association (CONA). Staff would also request CLUCK's assistance in providing information and education with these discussions. Subsequent to the workshops, a Board authorization to advertise item will be scheduled to deliver the results of those outreach efforts, as well as, discuss the processing of a proposed Ordinance.

Commissioner Robinson, assuring those assembled that she was not creating roadblocks or speedbumps, asked staff to address “health aspects” that might include required vet visits or licensing. She also wanted clarification on code enforcement – specifically if CLUCK was going to provide a service comparable to what is available in the City of Sarasota where chicken-related calls are routed from paid city staff to CLUCK volunteers to save the City time and money. Commissioner Hines noted concerns from the Sheriff's office.

COMMENT: The report delivered to the Commission clearly stated that the County's Director of Health and Human Services, reviewing both information from the City of Sarasota and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "do not provide a recommendation for or against the keeping of backyard chickens."

As for the role of volunteers, CLUCK is now planning a May 25th evening meeting to explore that question. Details will be provided here, when that date and location are confirmed. 

Sarasota CLUCK back in the News

It's been quite awhile, but it was worth waiting for the most recent Sarasota Herald-Tribune article dealing with backyard chickens and Sarasota CLUCK, which occupies most of the front page of the local section. The February 25th 2014 article titled Chickens pass their test by Ian Cummings features longtime CLUCK supporter Fran Tiner and, indirectly, Betsy, Pippy, Rose, and Roz, Fran's four hens.

CLUCK "Re-Coops" - Two Meetings in February

Sarasota CLUCK is back in gear with two important events in February. (And with 99,595 pageviews on January 26th, we're about to celebrate 100,000 pageviews!)

First, on Saturday February 8th, another Chickens 101 Workshop is being offered by our local Sarasota Extension Office. (See poster below for details). If you've been curious about chickens and or have some and need more information, don't miss this half-day workshop. 

Then, ten days later, on Tuesday February 18th at 5:00 p.m. we're holding a CLUCK meeting in downtown Sarasota for the purpose of "re-cooping". Yes, we're restarting the campaign to legalize backyard hens in suburban areas of unincorporated Sarasota County. We've been biding our time, and believe this is a great time to restart the effort. The location is still being determined. Leave a comment and we'll be sure to let you know where we're meeting. 

CLUCK's "Fried Egg" Tee-Shirt Now Available

Responding to pent-up demand, and just in time for the two-year anniversary of the City's revised chicken ordinance, Sarasota CLUCK announces the "Fried Egg" Sarasota CLUCK Tee-Shirt from Zazzle. 

This is the back of the shirt.

CLUCK celebrates first anniversary of city chickens and plans county strategy

One year after final passage of the changes to Sarasota city ordinances to once again allow chickens, CLUCK supporters will gather commemorate our success and re-dedicate ourselves to a campaign to relax restrictions in the unincorporated county (and North Port). 

CLUCK Opportunity: Sarasota County 4H Poultry Workshop

Hey Kids (particularly those of you in the City of Sarasota where is is legal to have chickens)! Sarasota County 4H Poultry Workshop could be for you! Do you have chickens? Want chickens? You don't need to be a 4H member to participate. 

When: December 3, 2011 

Where: Sarasota County Extension

6700 Clark Road, Sarasota, FL 

Time: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Hands-On Instruction by Cindy Kinard

Topics Include:

Poultry Raising Basics Grooming and Showmanship

Record Books and County Fair Small Livestock Entry Forms

Bringing Your Poultry Project Is Allowed !

Please RSVP with Janie Besselman at 941-232-8420 or 941-907-0011 by November 28, 2011.

CLUCK NEWS: 'MY SUNCOAST' not too generous with news related to a domestic avian species

The webpage masthead says mysuncoast.com but the dire warning at the end of the article seems to imply that it is not our suncoast, but theirs, and they are retaining all rights. The warning says the content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, which is a little weird because they encourage people to share the article, which certainly seems like a form of redistribution to us. Cautiously we proceed. Here goes:

Five More Sarasota CLUCK Milestones

Sarasota CLUCK just keeps on keeping on -- we have five new milestones to announce that involve our blog, Facebook, our supporters, and the support we are providing: