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DeLand planning board backs code change to allow up to four backyard hens
Summary
The City of DeLand Planning Board voted to recommend approval of a Land Development Regulation amendment (LDR 25-41) to allow up to four hens in specified single‑family zones, with performance standards and a $100 permit (50% reduction after training). The measure will go to the City Commission for two readings in July and August.
The City of DeLand Planning Board voted June 11 to recommend approval of LDR 25-41, a code amendment that would allow urban or backyard chickens in specified single‑family residential zoning districts subject to permit and performance standards.
Staff presented the proposal as an exception to the municipal code prohibition on keeping livestock, adding a new Section 33‑27.06 to allow a maximum of four hens in RR, R, R1, R1AA, R1A and R1B zoning districts. The draft ordinance would bar roosters and other poultry (ducks, geese, turkeys, peafowl), prohibit selling eggs or breeding, and require coops and enclosures to be located in rear yards only.
Planning staff said the proposed permit would carry a $100 fee, with a 50 percent reduction if the applicant provides proof of successful completion of a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences course on poultry and egg safety. The draft sets maximum combined coop and enclosure area at 100 square feet, a maximum coop height of 8 feet, minimum setbacks of 10 feet, and requires manure storage at least 20 feet from property lines. Coops must be covered, ventilated, secured against predators, kept clean, and feed stored in predator‑proof containers. Mobile “chicken tractors” and free‑range poultry would be prohibited.
The planning board discussed enforcement and permitting. Staff said the permit would be an affidavit modeled after other accessory‑use affidavits; no building permit would be required for most prefabricated coops but code enforcement inspections could follow if complaints are received. Staff recommended forwarding the amendment to the City Commission, with first and second readings scheduled for July 7 and August 4.
Board members emphasized owner responsibility and encouraged the training; one member noted the class fee is $7, meaning applicants still save $43 even after paying for training. No public speakers registered for or against the amendment; one written comment opposing the change was included in the staff packet.
Motion and vote: a motion to recommend approval passed on roll call. Nora Lewis, Dawn Liska, Troy Baumgartner and Jeremy Owens voted in favor; no votes against were recorded. The Planning Board recommendation will be considered by the City Commission at its upcoming readings.
The ordinance language forwarded by staff includes specific operational limits and definitions; if the City Commission adopts the changes, the new permit and standards would be added to Chapter 33 of the City of DeLand Land Development Regulations.
