Hernando BOCC Approves First Reading of Backyard-Poultry Ordinance Including Ducks

The Hernando County Board of County Commissioners approved the first public reading of an amended ordinance in Appendix A, Article V, Section 4 that explicitly adds ducks to permissible backyard birds and ties maximum bird counts to parcel size. The board took the action on Feb. 18, 2026, moving the measure to a second reading and final vote scheduled for March 3, 2026.

Under the amended text, parcels smaller than 6,000 square feet may keep a maximum of four birds; parcels between 6,001 and 10,000 square feet may keep eight birds; and parcels larger than 10,000 square feet may keep 12 birds. Those parcel-size bands and corresponding limits are placed directly in the ordinance language and will determine how many chickens or ducks a single-family property may legally maintain.

The ordinance draws a clear line on disallowed species and settings. Roosters, geese, turkeys, peafowl or other fowl are specifically prohibited, and multi-family homes are not permitted to keep birds under the amended code. The text also preserves homeowners’ association authority: HOAs will not be preempted by the county ordinance and may restrict or prohibit ducks and chickens according to their covenants.

The amendment makes several changes to bird-housing permit thresholds and permit language. Formerly, a structure larger than 100 square feet by 10 square feet would require a permit; the ordinance increases that threshold to 120 square feet by 12 square feet. The ordinance removes the prior five-year cap on structure permits so that “the structure permits are no longer restricted to a five-year period.” County staff have signaled additional modifications will be inserted before the March 3 final vote, including language to remove the requirement of a permit to own backyard birds and to exclude chicken runs from square-footage calculations for chicken coups.

One notable gap in the drafted amendment remains unresolved in the text submitted for first reading: while roosters are specifically prohibited, the ordinance does not address whether keeping male ducks alongside female ducks would be allowed. The omission leaves questions about co-ed duck living and how the county intends to regulate sex-specific bird restrictions.

With the second reading and final vote set for March 3, 2026, commissioners and affected homeowners will be watching for the promised clarifications on permit scope and coop measurements as well as any enforcement language. The ordinance’s preservation of HOA authority means local covenants in Hernando County neighborhoods may continue to ban chickens or ducks even if a property otherwise meets the parcel-size limits in Appendix A, Article V, Section 4.