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Commissioners advance revised backyard‑chicken ordinance to adoption hearing; add language about runs and retain HOA authority
Summary
Board gave first reading to changes that add ducks, scale bird limits by lot size (up to 12 birds on larger lots), exempt coops under 120 sq ft from building permits and preserve HOA restrictions; adoption scheduled for March 3 with minor language adjustments requested.
The Hernando County Board of County Commissioners gave first reading on Feb. 3 to a revised ordinance on backyard poultry that would add ducks to permitted birds, increase allowable bird counts based on lot size and remove the requirement to renew small‑coop permits.
Under the draft rules presented by Development Services, parcels under 6,000 sq ft would remain limited to four birds; parcels between 6,001 and 10,000 sq ft would be allowed up to eight birds; parcels larger than 10,000 sq ft could keep as many as 12 birds. Staff recommended that coops no larger than 120 sq ft (10 by 12) be exempt from building permits because the Florida building code does not require permits for accessory structures under that size.
Commissioners asked staff to clarify that allowed coop square footage would exclude open runs and to confirm that the county ordinance would not supersede homeowners‑association restrictions. Staff agreed to add language excluding runs from the 120‑sq‑ft measure and to preserve HOA covenants; with those edits the board directed staff to schedule adoption for March 3.
What’s next: Staff will revise draft language to explicitly exclude runs from the coop size calculation and return the ordinance for adoption on March 3.
