Backyard chickens in Jacksonville, Florida

Yes. The City of Jacksonville allows residents to keep female backyard hens on single-family residential properties under a permit program authorized by Ordinance #2015-0337-E, codified at Zoning Code § 656.422 ("Chickens allowed by permit in certain zoning districts").

On June 25, 2015 City Council Enacted Ordinance #2015-0337-E which would permit backyard hens in certain residential zoning districts in which they are currently not permitted, and this ordinance shall not change the rights granted to properties located in the Agriculture and Rural Residential-Acre zoning districts pursuant to Section 656.401(A)(3), Ordinance Code. That means properties already zoned Agriculture (AGR) or Rural Residential-Acre (RR-Acre) retain their pre-existing, broader right to keep poultry outside of this specific hen-permit program.

Under the permit program, only female chickens may be kept — "For the purpose of this section, a chicken (Gallus domesticus) refers only to a female chicken." No male chickens/roosters, ducks, geese, turkeys, peafowl, pheasants, quail or any other poultry or fowl may be kept under this program, and the slaughtering of chickens on the premises is strictly prohibited and therefore not allowed.

A permit is mandatory before placing any chickens on the property: a permit is required to ensure compliance with performance standards and development criteria, and the application for permit must be submitted to the Planning and Development Department prior to placement of any chickens on the property. Applicants must also complete a poultry-keeping class — to legally keep chickens, residents must obtain a Backyard Hen Permit, which requires completing a Poultry Management Seminar offered by the Duval County Agricultural Extension Office.

Chickens are restricted to single-family homes: chickens are prohibited on duplex, triplex, or other multi-family properties, and are prohibited in mobile home/manufactured home parks, RV parks, or rental communities. They must be kept strictly for personal use — chickens shall be kept for personal use only; breeding or selling chickens for commercial purposes is prohibited, and the selling of chickens, eggs, or manure from the property is prohibited.

Jacksonville sits at the boundary of USDA Hardiness Zones 9a and 9b, with most of the city (downtown, beaches, and southside neighborhoods) in Zone 9b (25–30°F) and cooler western/northwestern sections in Zone 9a. Winters are short and mild, so egg-laying rarely slows for cold, but the region's long, hot, humid summers (plus hurricane season) are the bigger management challenge for a backyard flock — good ventilation, shade, and predator-proof, well-drained coops (as required by the City's own coop standards) matter more here than winterizing.

Jacksonville-area flocks face a robust list of predators typical of North Florida. Raccoons are the #1 chicken predator statewide — they're everywhere and they're smart and can reach through wire to attack birds. Red-shouldered hawks and Cooper's hawks are common throughout Florida, so covering the run is essential, a point echoed by UF/IFAS extension guidance that a covered, sturdy-roofed run protects against aerial threats. Rat snakes, corn snakes, and black racers eat eggs and small chicks and can squeeze through surprisingly small gaps, making 1/2-inch hardware cloth essential. Coyotes are increasingly common in suburban Florida, so fence aprons should be buried about 12 inches underground, and opossums target eggs and chicks, so the coop should be secured at night. Bobcats and other nighttime hunters are also active in the region, and UF/IFAS notes that many predators such as raccoons, coyotes and bobcats prefer to hunt at night than in broad daylight, reinforcing the value of locking birds in a secure coop after dark, which aligns with Jacksonville's own ordinance requirement that coops be covered, ventilated, and secured from predators.