How many animals the code actually allows
This is the question every equestrian buyer asks, and almost nobody online answers it correctly, because the answer lives in Section 045-030 of the town's Unified Land Development Code and differs by zoning district:
| Zoning district | Livestock allowance | Bonus provisions |
|---|---|---|
| RE / RR / RR-A (most residential land) | 1 livestock animal per 10,000 sq ft of lot (≈4 per acre), plus up to 25 birds/fowl in an enclosure set 50+ ft from lot lines | On lots over 4.5 net acres: +1 animal per 10,000 sq ft if all animals are sheltered |
| A-1 (Agricultural Estate) | 4 animals per net acre | On 3.5+ net acres the count may be doubled if all animals are sheltered; no limit at all above 10 net acres |
| A-2 (General Agricultural) | Number and type not restricted | Subject only to Florida's nuisance/Right-to-Farm standard |
| Bona fide farms (any district) | Not restricted in number or type | Must qualify as a bona fide farm operation under F.S. § 823.14 |
A few code details that surprise even long-time owners: foals and other offspring under weaning age don't count against your limit; one spayed/neutered, de-tusked pot-belly pig is allowed as a house pet; and any yard animals can access must be fenced well enough to keep them off streets and neighboring land. Barbed and razor wire are prohibited as fencing, low-voltage "hot wire" is fine, and fences can go to eight feet.
Barns, stables and arenas: the permit reality
The town is pro-barn, but not permit-free. What the code requires:
- 50-foot setbacks. Any building, roofed structure, pen or coop used to shelter or keep animals must sit at least 50 feet from property lines. On a one-acre lot that's a genuine design constraint; on 2.5 acres it's easy.
- Permits, yes. Barns, stables, and covered arenas go through town permitting like any structure.
- But generous carve-outs. Nonresidential farm buildings are exempt from the plot-coverage caps (which limit houses to 8–20% of the lot depending on district) and from the 35-foot height cap. Your hay barn doesn't compete with your house for buildable area.
- A relief valve exists. The code's "noncommercial farm special exception" process (Article 155) lets you seek relief from setback, coverage, or height rules if you can show the rule restricts a generally accepted farming practice. Few towns offer anything like this.
- Small stuff that gets cited: feed must be stored rat-proof, and nothing can be parked or stored on the drainage swale along the road.
The town's one hard rule: if it isn't listed, it's banned
Section 045-060 of the town code is one sentence long: "Any use not expressly permitted in section 045-050 … is prohibited." This is the piece of tribal knowledge that saves buyers real money. It means you should never assume an activity is fine just because horses already live on the property. Boarding, lessons, clinics, events, large-scale trailer storage, each stands or falls on whether the code's permitted-use list covers it.
The flip side is unusually generous: commercial equestrian operations are a permitted principal use in A-1, A-2, RE and RR, most of the town. So a legitimate training or boarding operation is not a gray-market activity here the way it is in most of Broward; it's on the list. (Also on the list: plant nurseries and commercial fish breeding. Expressly not on it anywhere in town: veterinary clinics and hospitals, and commercial kennels.)
Where you'll actually ride
- The trail network: more than 25 miles of multi-purpose right-of-way trails link the town's neighborhoods and 150+ acres of parkland. Riders on the road shoulder are normal traffic here.
- Sunshine Ranches Equestrian Park: 20 landscaped acres with about 10 acres of dedicated horse and nature trails; the community's equestrian hub.
- Rolling Oaks Park: equestrian trails along three boundaries, plus a restored historic barn used as a community facility.
- Country Estates Fishing Hole & Frontier Trails: 16 acres and 30 acres respectively of the town's open-space system, with pedestrian/equestrian trails (Frontier Trails preserves wetlands and an archaeological site the town bought specifically to keep from being developed).
Add the private layer, neighbors' arenas, informal schooling rings, and the trainer network centered on Sunshine Ranches, and you can be a serious rider here without ever trailering out, something true almost nowhere else within 30 minutes of an international airport.
Buying an equestrian property: what to verify
- Zoning district first. RE vs RR vs A-1 changes your animal count, coverage cap, and what businesses you can run. Get the district from the town or the Broward Property Appraiser before you fall in love.
- Existing structures' permit history. Unpermitted barns and arenas exist; they become your problem at closing, not the seller's.
- Setback compliance. Measure that existing barn's distance from the lines. Grandfathered nonconformities complicate renovations.
- Drainage and pasture elevation. A pasture that holds water all rainy season is a vet bill generator. Walk the land in summer if you can.
- Trail and easement access. Some parcels carry trail easements (a plus for riders, a surprise for privacy buyers). It's in the title work.
