Stuart advances proposal to allow residents to keep four backyard hens

Stuart homeowners moved a step closer to keeping backyard hens after city commissioners advanced Ordinance No. 2552-2026, a proposal that would let qualifying residents keep up to four hens on their property. The idea has been worked over three times by local officials, a sign that Stuart is trying to write a usable rule for small flocks instead of reacting to a passing fad.

The measure sat in the city’s land development code overhaul as a new section for backyard chickens in certain residential zoning districts. City records show the Stuart Community Redevelopment Board reviewed it on June 2, 2026, before the City Commission took it up at its regular meeting on June 8. A second and final reading was scheduled for June 22, putting the proposal squarely in the adoption pipeline rather than at the finish line.

The draft rules have already shifted to fit neighborhood conditions. Earlier revisions allowed hedges instead of fences, lowered the minimum fence height to 5 feet, and permitted chicken coops up to 7 feet tall. The current proposal would also prohibit roosters and apply only in certain residential areas, including single-family homes and duplexes. For backyard keepers, those details matter as much as the bird limit, because the difference between a workable setup and a complaint magnet is often found in setbacks, enclosure height, and what can actually live next to a fence line.

Supporters have framed the proposal as part of a broader move toward local food production, household self-sufficiency, and sustainable living. One resident told commissioners that hens can be manageable for ordinary homeowners and can create a stronger sense of stewardship and accomplishment, not just a source of eggs. That kind of argument has helped backyard chickens win support in other Florida cities, where residents see a few hens as a practical piece of a home food system rather than a hobby for rural lots.

But the pushback was just as specific. Commissioner Campbell Rich raised concerns about the city’s comprehensive plan, especially water quality near waterways and the need for stronger safeguards. City environmental attorney Ruth Holmes said those concerns deserved more study before final approval. Martin County’s water-quality advisory near the Roosevelt Bridge and Sandsprit Park on May 16, 2025, because of high bacteria levels, gave those worries more local weight.

Stuart has been down this road before. A 2017 City Commission effort first moved forward, then unraveled after support was rescinded, and the debate turned polarizing as supporters and opponents filled meetings. Nearby cities have taken different paths: Orange County requires a University of Florida IFAS training class and caps permits at 130, while Pasco County adopted an ordinance in November 2025 allowing up to four hens in most residential districts. Stuart’s latest proposal shows the city inching toward the same model ordinance question that keeps resurfacing everywhere backyard chickens become part of the neighborhood conversation.