Special magistrate orders removal of roosters, excess hens at Palatka residence
May 19, 2026 | Palatka, Putnam County, Florida
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A special magistrate for the City of Palatka found that the owner of 2201 President Street violated the city code on domestic fowl and ordered the removal of roosters and any hens beyond the four-per-property limit.
Magistrate Ron Brown presiding over case 2026-042 said there was "substantial and competent" evidence presented by city staff showing at least five hens and at least one rooster on the property, which exceeds the ordinance limit of four hens and prohibits roosters. Brown noted the hearing was a quasi-judicial proceeding and that all testimony had been sworn.
Christy Lo of the City of Palatka Code Complaints Office presented the case. She told the magistrate the property was first observed on March 23, 2026; the notice of hearing was mailed April 1, 2026; and the property posting occurred May 13, 2026. Lo said she took photographs on May 11, 2026 that show a rooster inside an enclosure and that she heard additional rooster vocalizations off-camera. "We have four complaints of the roosters and the chickens," Lo said, describing neighbor reports of persistent crowing and a rooster roaming nearby yards.
City counsel and staff cited Palatka City Code section 14-18, which limits domestic chickens to four hens and disallows keeping roosters within city limits. With no one appearing for the respondent, the magistrate found that certified mailing and statutory posting fulfilled due-process requirements under chapter 162 of the Florida Statutes and entered an order finding a violation.
The magistrate ordered the property owner to remove the rooster and any hens in excess of four and to bring the premises into compliance by May 30, 2026. Brown said a monetary fine of $25 per day will begin on May 30, 2026 if the owner does not comply. The hearing concluded at 1:40 p.m.
Procedural notes: the transcript includes an initial exchange where the magistrate said a compliance deadline of May 29 was considered, but the order sets compliance and the start of fines on May 30, 2026.
Magistrate Ron Brown presiding over case 2026-042 said there was "substantial and competent" evidence presented by city staff showing at least five hens and at least one rooster on the property, which exceeds the ordinance limit of four hens and prohibits roosters. Brown noted the hearing was a quasi-judicial proceeding and that all testimony had been sworn.
Christy Lo of the City of Palatka Code Complaints Office presented the case. She told the magistrate the property was first observed on March 23, 2026; the notice of hearing was mailed April 1, 2026; and the property posting occurred May 13, 2026. Lo said she took photographs on May 11, 2026 that show a rooster inside an enclosure and that she heard additional rooster vocalizations off-camera. "We have four complaints of the roosters and the chickens," Lo said, describing neighbor reports of persistent crowing and a rooster roaming nearby yards.
City counsel and staff cited Palatka City Code section 14-18, which limits domestic chickens to four hens and disallows keeping roosters within city limits. With no one appearing for the respondent, the magistrate found that certified mailing and statutory posting fulfilled due-process requirements under chapter 162 of the Florida Statutes and entered an order finding a violation.
The magistrate ordered the property owner to remove the rooster and any hens in excess of four and to bring the premises into compliance by May 30, 2026. Brown said a monetary fine of $25 per day will begin on May 30, 2026 if the owner does not comply. The hearing concluded at 1:40 p.m.
Procedural notes: the transcript includes an initial exchange where the magistrate said a compliance deadline of May 29 was considered, but the order sets compliance and the start of fines on May 30, 2026.
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