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Chicken Keeping Rules by City: How to Check Ordinances, Zoning and HOA Rules
Whether you can keep hens, how many, and where the coop may stand is decided locally: by your city or county, sometimes by your state, and often by a homeowners' association. This page sets out a way to check those rules and compares five real city codes to show how much they vary.
Not legal advice. The city and state examples below summarize official pages as read on 2026-10-17. Codes are amended, and a summary page is not the code itself. Confirm the current text with your city or county before you buy birds or build a coop.
Who sets the rules
Cities, counties and HOAs can restrict chicken keeping and limit flock size, setbacks, coop design or roosters (University of Arizona); ducks or turkeys may be barred even where chickens are allowed (UF/IFAS). Several layers can apply to one backyard:
| Layer | What it can decide | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Zoning code (city, or county if unincorporated) | Whether poultry is allowed in your zoning district; numbers; setbacks | Planning or zoning department website, zoning map, parcel lookup |
| Animal or health code | Roosters, enclosures, sanitation, noise, permits | The city's online code; animal control |
| State law | Can override local rules or private covenants | State statutes (Arizona and Missouri examples below) |
| HOA covenants and deed restrictions | Can be stricter than zoning | Your CC&Rs and property deed |
| Building and electrical permits | Larger or wired coops | Building department (Saint Paul: coops over 200 sq ft or with electricity) |
Seattle shows how the rules can be split: animal numbers sit in the Land Use Code (SMC 23.42.052), while animal behavior and noise are handled by the Seattle Animal Shelter under the Animal Control code (SMC 9.25) and the noise code (SMC 25.08.500).
How to check, step by step
- Confirm your jurisdiction. Find out whether the property is inside city or town limits or in an unincorporated county area. The Arizona guide warns this "isn't always obvious based on your mailing address."
- Find your zoning designation. On the planning or zoning website, look for a zoning map or interactive map, enter your address or parcel number, and note the zoning code and your lot size. Limits often step up with lot size.
- Read the ordinance itself. Look for poultry or livestock sections; chickens may fall under general livestock rules. Check bird numbers, which species or sexes are allowed, setbacks, coop requirements, and waste and noise rules (University of Arizona). Clemson Extension points to Municode, one of the online code libraries many cities use.
- Check the animal-control and health chapters too; as in Seattle, noise rules may sit outside zoning.
- Check state law. A state statute can limit what a city or an HOA may ban.
- Read your HOA covenants and deed. Even where zoning allows chickens, "HOAs or property deeds may have stricter rules" (University of Arizona). Clemson says to check covenants, conditions and restrictions before buying poultry.
- Ask about permits, licenses and registration. Requirements range from nothing to a license, permit, state registration or inspection (table below). UF/IFAS notes that poultry housing may also need setbacks or permits.
- Call to confirm. The planning or zoning department can point you to the maps and ordinances for your address (University of Arizona). Clemson: "Calling your county administration office will be the best way to receive the most up-to-date information." Write down the date, the section numbers and who you spoke with.
- Talk to the neighbors. UF/IFAS advises making friends with neighbors and verifying the regulations. Some cities go further and require written notice or a petition.
Five city codes compared
As read on 2026-10-17 on each city's official page. Summaries in our own words; see Sources for the full text.
| City | Birds allowed | Roosters | Coop setback | Permit or license | Neighbors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | Up to 8 domestic fowl on any lot; 1 more per 1,000 sq ft of community garden or urban farm on lots over 10,000 sq ft | Not permitted | 10 ft from any residential structure on an adjacent lot | None mentioned; fines $150 for a first animal-number violation, $500 after | Not addressed |
| Portland, OR | Up to 4 fowl; 6 on lots of 10,000 sq ft or more; plus up to 4 under 12 weeks old; no cap on qualifying lots of 20,000 sq ft or more | No rule on the page read | 3 ft from side and rear lines, 10 ft from the front line; 15 ft from residential unit walls on multi-unit lots | "Permits are not required, but you must comply with all Title 13 code standards" | Written notice recommended on multi-unit lots |
| Austin, TX | Page refers to Title 3 of the City Code for limits | Not mentioned | Enclosures for two or more chickens "should be at least 30 feet from adjacent residences or businesses, excluding your home" | Not mentioned | Not addressed |
| Madison, WI | Up to 8 chickens on lots with up to 4 dwelling units | Prohibited | 25 ft from any residential structure on an adjacent lot | City license within 30 days of getting chickens, after state (DATCP) registration; $10 by mail; renew before January 1 | Not addressed |
| Saint Paul, MN | Tier One 1–6 hens; Tier Two 7–15; no more than 15 birds | Prohibited | Not stated on the page | Permit: $26 then $16 a year (Tier One); $76 then $28 (Tier Two); annual inspection | Tier One: notify adjacent neighbors in writing. Tier Two: petition signed by 75% of neighbors within 150 ft |
Saint Paul's page says "150 square feet"; the city's 2022 regulations say 150 feet. Seattle details are from SDCI Tip 244 (updated May 27, 2022) and the SDCI animal codes page.
Where the codes disagree
- Flock size: from 4 birds (Portland, small lots) to 15 (Saint Paul, Tier Two), with extra birds tied to lot size in Seattle and Portland.
- What the setback is measured to: Portland measures to the property lines; Seattle, Madison and Austin measure to the neighbor's house, at 10, 25 and 30 ft. The same coop spot can pass in one city and fail in another.
- Paperwork: none in Portland, an annual license in Madison, a tiered permit with inspections in Saint Paul.
- Roosters: banned outright in Seattle, Madison and Saint Paul; the Portland and Austin pages read do not address them. UF/IFAS lists a general prohibition of roosters among the most common restrictions.
- Codes change: Saint Paul's 2022 Keeping of Animals regulations required written approval from 75% of owners or renters within 150 feet for a permit covering female chickens; the city's chicken page, last edited October 3, 2025, asks Tier One keepers only to notify adjacent neighbors in writing.
- To the property line: Portland requires coop structures at least 3 ft from side and rear lines; Arizona's statute lets a city require an enclosure at least 20 ft from a neighboring property.
- To the neighbor's house: Seattle 10 ft and Madison 25 ft from a residential structure on an adjacent lot; Austin's page says 30 ft from adjacent residences or businesses for two or more chickens.
- To the front property line: Portland, 10 ft.
- Red bars are measured to a property line. Arizona's 20 ft is the most a city may require under A.R.S. § 9-462.12, not a city rule.
- Green bars are measured to the neighbor's building.
State laws that override local rules
| State law | What it protects | What can still be regulated |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona, A.R.S. § 9-462.12 | A city may not prohibit a resident of a single-family detached home on a lot of one-half acre or less from keeping up to six fowl in the backyard. The statute calls these property rights "of statewide concern." | A city may ban male fowl (roosters), require an enclosure in the rear or side yard at least 20 ft from a neighboring property, cap it at 200 sq ft and 8 ft high, set manure and feed-storage rules, and ban birds running at large. |
| Missouri, RSMo § 442.404(5), effective August 28, 2024 | Deed restrictions and covenants may not prohibit up to six chickens on a lot of two-tenths of an acre or larger, including a single coop built for up to six. | An HOA may adopt reasonable rules, "subject to applicable statutes or ordinances," including a ban on roosters. The section addresses private covenants, not city ordinances. |
Other states may have their own rules; ask your county extension office.
Checklist before you buy chicks
- ☐ City or unincorporated county confirmed
- ☐ Zoning designation and lot size noted
- ☐ Ordinance read: bird numbers, roosters, other species, setbacks, enclosure, waste, noise
- ☐ Animal-control and health chapters checked
- ☐ State law checked
- ☐ HOA covenants and deed read
- ☐ Permit, license, registration and fees confirmed
- ☐ Coop site measured to the right point (property line or neighbor's house); coop size checked against building-permit thresholds
- ☐ Neighbors notified where required
- ☐ Date read, section numbers and contact names saved
Once the rules are clear, size the coop and run with the coop space calculator, choose birds in the breed directory, and set up the brooder with the first-8-weeks checklist.
Sources
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension — Can I Have Chickens on My Property? (Wright, 2024)
- UF/IFAS Extension — Raising Backyard Chickens for Eggs (AN239, 2024)
- Clemson Extension Agribusiness Blog — Small-Scale Poultry Risk Management: Introduction & Legal Risk Management
- City of Seattle SDCI — Animal Codes
- City of Seattle SDCI — Tip 244: Urban Agriculture (updated May 27, 2022)
- City of Portland — Chickens and fowl: rules, permits and complaints
- City of Austin — Chickens, Bees, Goats, and more!
- City of Madison — Chicken License
- City of Saint Paul — Backyard Chicken Keeping (last edited October 3, 2025)
- City of Saint Paul — Keeping of Animals Regulations (July 19, 2022)
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 9-462.12 — Backyard fowl regulation
- Revised Statutes of Missouri § 442.404