Backyard Chickens in the City: Legal Coops and First Flock by Zip Code

  1. Check what your city code allows
    45 min
    Search the code that covers your parcel

    Look up your city code by address, not by city name alone — limits often change by zoning district and overlay. Search for chicken, hen, poultry, fowl and livestock, then read the definitions section: many codes sweep hens into livestock with acreage minimums even when chicken gets zero hits. Note the hen cap, rooster rule, setbacks from lot lines and dwellings, coop placement rules and any permit or registration trigger, each with its section number.

    Search both libraries — Municode and eCode360 — because coverage varies by municipality.

    To note down

    2 attempts left

    ZIP this ruling covers

    Max hens allowed

    To do

    • Run all five terms and open the definitions plus the animal / zoning chapters