If you live in Palm Coast, a chicken coop may be coming to a backyard near you.
The city today launched a pilot program that will permit 50 residents to have up to four chickens per backyard coop. The $50 permit, valid for two years, will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis.
The program is available to residents of homesteaded, single-family houses only. That means residents of areas controlled by homeowner associations are not eligible. Nor are residents in apartments or duplexes. Nor are renters. Nor are roosters.
The initiative, championed by Council member Theresa Pontieri, seeks to more realistically acknowledge that undocumented chickens are out there anyway, they do a lot of good, they’re not nearly the harmful, noisy nuisance prejudice makes them out to be, and they might as well be regulated, enabling more people to raise and enjoy chickens and their products.
“I don’t know about you all, but I know a lot of people that have chickens now,” Pontieri told her council colleagues in May. “I didn’t even know somebody on my street had chickens until the other day, and I’ve lived there for over two years. So I don’t think that the outrage that some–and I haven’t heard any outrage, let me be very clear, but in the past, there’s been some about the presence of chickens–is really, I think a little overstated from some.”
Those interested in participating in the pilot program will have to provide the city with a “site plan” drawing of the proposed chicken coop showing landscape screening that ensures the chickens are safe from predators. The coop may not be larger than 100 square feet or higher than 6 feet. Coops are not cheap. In 2023, council members were shown coops costing from the hundreds of dollars to $1,000.
Placement guidelines are rigorous: The coop must be at least 7.5 feet from any property line in the backyard. 20 feet for the bin collecting manure. On corner lots, the coop must be behind the street-side facade of the house, so it’s not visible from the street, and in no circumstance is the coop allowed to be on any easement.
Residents will also be required to complete a class on the care and raising of chickens through the University of Florida Agriculture Extension Service or other similar providers.
No slaughtering of chicken is allowed, and while eggs may be shared with neighbors, friends and family, they may not be sold.
When the pilot program ends, and assuming the council does not renew it or extend it, good-standing residents with existing permits will be allowed to keep their animals, but not add to them, until the animals die. A hen lives six to eight years.
“I do feel that if we were to engage in some reasonable regulations, we could very easily allow people to have backyard chickens without encroaching on their neighbors’ enjoyment of their own properties,” Pontieri said.
Council member Dave Sullivan was certain that it would not result in a “chicken on every lot” scenario, thus ensuring–as somebody had to–that the obligatory reference to the most famous phrase of Herbert Hoover’s 1928 presidential campaign got its due. (The phrase is always misattributed. It originated in a flyer issued by a political action committee called the Republican Business Men Inc. See details here.)
Chickens are allowed with far fewer restrictions in agricultural zoning districts, of which there are a few in the city.
The backyard-chicken movement got stronger a few years ago, especially after the Covid pandemic. The city came close to adopting a pilot program in 2023, when just 25 permits would have been issued, only for the city council at the time to balk at the last minute. The four council members who opposed the plan in one form or another are all gone.
The only holdover, Pontieri, was also the only one to strongly back the idea. She asked for it to be brought back to the council. “We’re regulating, we’re engaging in policy making, but we’re not engaging in government overreach,” she said. “I don’t understand why we wouldn’t also allow backyard chickens.”
Barbara Grossman, the city’s code enforcement manager, summarized the benefits of backyard chickens when she last presented the idea in mid-May: “Self-sufficiency, quality eggs, reduction of lawn pests, free from chemicals and pesticides, better tasting and healthier eggs, cost efficiencies and a more active lifestyle.” The surge in avian flu in commercial farms and the subsequent increase in the price of eggs have also added momentum to the initiative.
Council member Charles Gambaro said he raised chickens when he was younger–”we had a lot more than just four chickens”–and in this case was only concerned about having “some basic ground rules” in place. He encouraged self-policing.
So this time around, the council was more unanimously behind the idea. When Grossman presented the idea in May, it was to be for 20 permits. They happily increased the number of permits to 50. Pontieri wanted to limit the pilot program to a year, but the two-year pilot stuck.
“I had chickens. I love chickens. I had three. They’re no problem,” Sheila Hines, a 30-year resident in Palm Coast told the council, essentially owning up to raising undocumented ones. “Every morning I’d go out and get these beautiful eggs. It was a wonderful thing. And then the coyote found them. 6:30 I went to feed them. 8:30 they were gone. They were in a pot somewhere. But I’m going to get more chickens. And I bet you’d be surprised. There are probably hundreds of people in Palm Coast that have chickens, is my guess.” Her only issue was the $50 fee.
A B-Section resident told the council that “our family’s chickens are not farm animals, but beloved pets that play an essential and irreplaceable role in our children’s emotional and physical health.” The family’s chickens have been “therapy with feathers” to her son, who has faced “emotional challenges from bullying in school.”
JC says
Bawk bawk b-gawk!!!!!!!!!!
Richard Fay says
I remember the City Council hearings and I thought at that time the refusal did not seem to make sense, it is unlikely that chickens will take over in a manner similar to Key West (maybe not any more) or become community pets similar to rural communities like Seville, Crescent City. Unattended chickens in Palm Coast will be at high risk for death if wandering the streets not properly contained. Good Luck!
Me says
Why?
Justbob says
Good grief…dumb, silly. Has anyone ever smelled wet chicken poop? And it’s bound to generate a rooster gender discrimination lawsuit. But hey, it will be a fine dining dietary delight for foxes, raccoons, bobcats, snakes, hawks, coyotes, fleas, lice and even cats and dogs. My pet ferret will have a blast.
Shark says
I guess all of the waste will be thrown in the canals. Where does she dream up these idiotic ideas???? Does she actually think people will comply with just four chickens and if she does she is clueless !!!
Tony says
And in the meantime our town goes down the drain, This clown wanted a beach for Palm Coast residents and now chickens !!!
Doug says
I have several chickens and am grateful that I don’t reside within the city limits of the poorest run city in Florida. To pay to have 4 chickens on YOUR PROPERTY is ludicrous and another money grab for greedy elected officials. Furthermore, who’s going to “police” this program, Code Enforcement, the Sheriff? I’m sure there’s more important issues that need to be addressed other than 4 chickens. The City of Palm Coast is a JOKE.
Frank Willows says
I can just see the neighbor wars breaking out. Well I always said the Palm Coast government would turn the community into the Mondex.
KB says
Chicken tractors would take care of citizen’s concerns. They would protect the chickens from predators, allow the chickens to be raised organically in the grass eating insects & grubs as it is moved around, allow for easy egg collection, leaving fertilizer behind. Win, win. When can we start getting permits?
KB says
Chicken tractors would take care of citizen’s concerns. They would protect the chickens from predators, allow the chickens to be raised organically in the grass eating insects & grubs as it is moved around, allow for easy egg collection, leaving fertilizer behind. Win, win. When can we start getting permits?
Nina says
I’d like to say a thing or two in defense of chicken ownership.. from my own experience, watching these amazing creatures is very educational! You bring a few of these fluffy critters home and before long, a fascinating little society developes! Like any club, one of them emerges as the leader, anthen you have a pecking order!. there are rules.. rewards and punishments, but they work hard and usually stick together.. and if a preditor is nearby, one if them sounds a distintive alarm for the others to halt and listen up! They’ll either hold still or run for shelter! . their way of life is fascinating and rewarding, therapeutic and fun to watch!
My intention at first was to own chickens for the fresh healthy eggs but when my husband and I purchased our 1st flock of 5 rhode island reds.. i soon discovered there’s much more to this venture than a nice convenient breakfast!!
Nina says
Great idea to allow chickens in our community! Thank you!
Billy B says
I guess they will have to hire people for the chicken patrol and enforcement department. Maybe that would be a good job for Pontieri. I wonder what the penalty would be if you have five chickens?????
justbob says
Just what we need, more controversy emanating from the city council. We have a mayor leading the way who believes his phone is being bugged by the CIA, trash talks city staff and constituents, is suing the city that pays his salary, has been censured by the council, wants folks to paint their house any ol color they want, wants gaudy commercial vehicles parked full time in residential neighborhoods…and now the vice mayor has hatched a goofy residential backyard chicken coop proposal…with coops and the chickens that will end up in Kansas after it’s first hurricane. This city council has the makings of a cartoon strip.
Dennis C Rathsam says
And of course the city from hell wants you to pay them $50 bucks!!!!! P/C IS A RIPOFF!
PeachesMcGee says
Not only does raising eggs provide a premium food source and cost savings, it also provides an excellent educational opportunity. After start-up costs, the cost of raising chickens is less than buying 2 dozen eggs a week yearly.
Laurel says
The photo attached to this article is hilarious! I once photographed, in black and white, a limpkin, in the Everglades with his beak straight up in the air, and both eyes forward looking at me. So funny! This chicken looks to say “C’mon, man, what’s the problem?” I love it!
I remember watching an episode about raising chickens by Martha Stewart. She stated that you should not raise chickens solely for the eggs, as the feed and care out weigh the price of eggs (oh, by the way, has not gone down). So, seriously consider proper hen coops, fenced yards, quality food and protection for your pets.
“It reminds me of that old joke- you know, a guy walks into a psychiatrist’s office and says, hey doc, my brother’s crazy! He thinks he’s a chicken. Then the doc says, why don’t you turn him in? Then the guy says, I would but I need the eggs. I guess that’s how I feel about relationships. They’re totally crazy, irrational, and absurd, but we keep going through it because we need the eggs.”
― Woody Allen, Annie Hall: Screenplay
From Goodreads.com
Get ready, Flagler Humane.
Wise Man Says says
Owning hens is the worlds most expensive way to get free eggs.
WorldFamousMom says
GET OUT OF MY COOP GOVERNMENT! THIS IS JUST ANOTHER WAY TO CONTROL THE POPULATION. I’LL PUT MY CHICKENS (HOWEVER MANY I WANT‼️) WHEREVER I WANT ON MY PROPERTY! NO I WILL NOT PAY YOU SO I CAN OWN CHICKENS. GTFO
Old Rumrunner says
Just say no. If you want chickens, move to the other side of Rte 1.
‘Wild’ house colors, commercial trucks in driveways, what’s next?
Laurel says
So, Doug, YOU’RE the one with the chickens!
Just kiddin’ :)
Al Solter says
Since most chickens only produce eggs efficiently for 2 to 3 years at an average during that time of about 80% then 4 hens will typically produce an average of 1200 (100 dozen) eggs per year, which in the store will cost you about $250.00, and they want you to pay a 20% tax for the privilege of raising them yourself. It’s not like you didn’t already bear the expense of buying the chickens, the chicken feed and the living accomodations for them.
In addition, 4 eggs (100% efficiency) per day is breakfast for two adults, but nothing for your children and Heaven forbid you want to bake a pan of brownies. Chickens may live for 6 years, but they are only productive for about 3. Then, if you still want eggs you have to get rid of the ‘pets’ and replace them with new, young birds. There are people who will take ‘spent hens’, but if you only have 4 you may bear the burden of delivering them to their new home. Why not butcher them? Though that part of raising chickens is not for everybody, and layers are not the best chicken you can eat, they do make great soup or stew. They could also be composted along with any manure you may optionally collect and use it to fertilize your garden or flower bed. Well managed compost has almost no smell.
Let’s get real people.
H. Donna Gust says
I have four dozen chickens inside city limits and if you don’t like it you shouldn’t have moved here.
Darlene says
The negative comments about chicken ownership are ridiculous. It’s crazy to have only 4 and to be charged a PERMIT of $50! To be self sustainable is our right. We shouldn’t have to ask permission nor a site plan and landscaping. I’m amazed. It’s always more government control in our lives and regulations for more taxation, ie permit fee.
James says
https://flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/hens.jpg
No roosters?
“… Heeeeeere they come to snuff the rooster… Yeah here come the rooster, yeeeeeah…
You know he ain’t gonna die, oh
No, no, no oh, you know he ain’t gonna die…”
GKH says
Nine permits submitted thus far… across a variety of PC sections.