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Sanford staff proposes permit, inspections for backyard chickens; commissioners ask for tweaks
Summary
City staff presented a draft ordinance to allow backyard chickens on single‑family lots with a permit, inspections, a recommended $50 annual fee and limits on numbers and setbacks; commissioners asked for adjustments to setbacks, the permit cap and clarified enforcement and appeal steps.
Tony Raimondo, development services director, outlined a proposed ordinance to allow backyard chickens on single‑family lots in Sanford, recommending a permit, regular inspections and operational standards.
Raimondo told the commission staff and legal had drafted definitions, permit requirements and enforcement provisions and that the document was ready if commissioners wanted a formal ordinance. He said staff recommended a cap of six birds (the number is not final), an annual $50 permit fee, annual inspections and restrictions that would limit the program to single‑family homes, prohibit roosters and bar commercial use or on‑site slaughter. Raimondo said the draft would require a right of entry for inspection and would allow appeals first to the city manager, then to the commission.
The proposal includes detailed requirements intended to limit nuisance effects: coops must be screened from neighboring properties (opaque materials, vegetation or fencing), manure must be managed in sealed containers, carcasses must be removed within 24 hours, and coops would follow a “3‑5‑100” rule Raimondo described (3 feet per bird in the coop, 5 square feet per bird in the run, and a maximum coop size of 100 square feet). Staff recommended a minimum setback of 10 feet from side or rear property lines and 20 feet from neighboring homes; Raimondo said that 20‑foot figure came from Seminole County standards that staff reviewed.
Commissioners raised practical concerns about the draft. Commissioner Britton, who said she had kept and slaughtered chickens in the past, questioned whether the ban on on‑site slaughter would be practical and whether screening could address privacy concerns in the historic district where lot sizes are small. Commissioner Wiggins said a modest fee could indicate seriousness and limit frivolous applications; several commissioners expressed interest in retaining a permit process rather than allowing chickens “by right” so staff could track locations and enforce standards.
Several commissioners asked staff to revisit the proposed caps and setbacks for historic neighborhoods, and to confirm enforcement workloads for code enforcement if the commission adopts annual inspections. Raimondo told the commission the ordinance text existed and that he would present a formal draft for consideration with any requested changes.
No formal vote was taken at the work session; commissioners directed staff to return with formal ordinance language incorporating any guidance they provided.
The discussion occurred during a work session; no final code change was adopted at the meeting.
