Sanford approves first reading of ordinance to allow backyard chickens with limits

The Sanford City Commission approved first reading of Ordinance 2025-4832 on Sept. 22, 2025, moving forward a proposal to allow backyard chickens in residential areas designated for single-family use, with limits on flock size, coop dimensions and prohibited commercial sales.

City staff presented the ordinance as a codification to replace an effectively prohibitive 150-foot rule that prevented most city homeowners from keeping chickens. "We were gonna look at this and, where I think the primary focus is to tell me what you think of the rules and, make the necessary adjustments," said the staff presenter, who asked commissioners to note a transposition error in the draft. Staff said the intent is to permit six chickens, not four, with three square feet per chicken in the coop and five square feet of run per bird.

The draft ordinance (Ordinance 2025-4832) also would ban roosters and other fowl such as geese and ducks in city limits, prohibit commercial selling of eggs or chickens, and set a 20-foot setback from neighboring property lines for coops. Commissioners discussed whether the ordinance should impose a one-time registration fee or an annual fee; several said they favored a one-time fee to ensure owners have "skin in the game." Commissioners also requested clearer odor language; staff agreed to revise a clause that read, "No perceptible odor shall be objectionable to neighboring properties," and to rewrite it to say "there shall be no perceptible odor that is objectionable to neighboring properties."

Bob Lecheri opened the public hearing; no members of the public offered testimony at the Sept. 22 hearing. The commission voted to approve first reading with staff edits; one commissioner registered opposition at the vote. Staff said they will correct the numeric transposition and refine the odor language ahead of second reading.