Winter Springs residents who live in detached single-family homes could be allowed to keep hens in their backyards if the City Commission gives Ordinance 2026-08 its second and final approval at its Monday, Oct. 26 meeting, which starts at 6:30 p.m.
The commission passed the backyard chicken ordinance on first reading Oct. 12 by a 3-1 vote, Oviedo Community News reported. Commissioners Sarah Baker, who led the proposal, Victoria Bruce and Mark Caruso voted yes. Commissioner Paul Diaz voted no and did not explain his vote at the meeting or answer the outlet's request for comment. Commissioner Cade Resnick missed the meeting.
What the ordinance would allow
City code now bars chickens and other livestock in residential areas. Under the proposal:
- A household could keep from four to 20 chickens, with the limit depending on property size.
- Only hens would be permitted. Roosters are excluded because of noise, and ducks, geese, goats and other livestock would remain banned.
- Birds would need a coop plus a fenced, covered run. The coop must sit in the backyard and be hidden from neighbors by a fence or landscaping, and a building permit is needed only for coops larger than 120 square feet.
- Hens could roam loose only inside that fenced area and only while supervised.
- The chickens would be for personal use. Selling eggs, feathers or manure, and breeding, would not be allowed.
- Homeowners associations could still forbid chickens, and the ordinance makes keepers solely responsible for following HOA rules and deed restrictions.
City officials have not yet settled whether residents who already keep animals under current rules would be grandfathered, according to the report.
Supporters and critics
Baker told Oviedo Community News she has kept nine hens as pets for about five years because her Tuscawilla home sits in a planned unit development without a mandatory HOA, a gap in city rules that let her have them. Bruce said she supports residents raising food at home, with HOA rules still in force.
