There is a growing number of cities that allow some livestock. Keep in mind , if you do live within city limits , that you need to check your local codes and ordinances out in order to be certain of what is legal and what isnt in your particular area. I would love if we could look up our local cities near each of us and post what ones allow chickens and the various codes etc so that we can compile a good all around list of city slickin chickens. Chicken cities cape Elizabeth, ME: pet chickens allowed! (Not for profit.) Biddeford, ME: (Part II Ch 10 Art 1) Chickens allowed in the city, no restrictions. Boston, MA: (Ch. 16, Sec 16.18A) Chickens allowed by permit, fee $20. Additional $10 fee for over 50 chickens. Concord, NH: (Title 1, Ch 13, Art 13-1) Unspecified number allowed. Cannot be a public nuisance or health hazard. New Haven, CT: Unspecified number allowed. Cannot be a public nuisance or roam at large. San Francisco, CA: (Health code Art 1, Ch 37) No permit needed for 4 or fewer (permit for more) must be 20 feet from any door or window. Minneapolis, MN. (Title 4 Ch 70 Sec 70.10) Unlimited. Annual $10 permit plus consent from 80 percent of neighbors within 100 feet of real estate. Chickens must be penned. Pheonix, AZ: (Ch. 8 Art II Sec 8) Up to 20 chickens allowed with written permission of residences within 80 feet. Chicago, IL. Can have unlimited number of chickens if use is only for pets or eggs; cannot have if use is to slaughter. Must be penned. New York City. Unlimited. Must have permit for chickens. Must be kept clean. No other poultry allowed, no roosters. Montpelier, VT: (Ch 8 Art 1 sec 5-6) Chickens must be kept in enclosure. Catawissa, PA. Chickens must be confined, no closer than 10 feet from neighboring properties, kept clean with no odors eminating across property lines. Syracuse, NY. No roosters. Anaheim, CA: (Title 8, Ch 8) Annual permit fee for any number or hens. Mobile, AL. Unlimited chickens allowed. No breeding, no roosters. Nashua NH: No prohibition on keeping chickens in the city. New Orleans, LA: (Part II Ch 4 Sec 4.3) Unspecified number of chickens allowed with written permission of property owners within 300 feet Buffalo, NY: ((Part II, Ch 78 Art1 Sec78-1) Unspecified number allowed, no permit, cannot be detrimental to public health. Hartford, CT: (Part II, Ch 6, Sec 4-6) Unspecified number allowed; must not be detrimental to public health. Baltimore, MD: (Title 17 Sub 3 Sec 17.300) Chickens allowed in the city. Rockville, MD: (Ch 3) Chickens allowed in the city. Corvallis, OR. Unlimited chickens allowed. No roosters. Chickens must be penned. Mountain View, CA. Up to 4 hens without a permit, more w/permit. Keep 25 ft. from residences. Within 25 ft. is o.k. with written consent from residences. No roosters. Portland, OR. Three hens allowed without a permit, or more with permit. No roosters. Permit for more costs $31. Keep 25ft. from residences. Houston, TX. Up to 30 chickens allowed. Miami, FL. May have up to 15 hens, no roosters. Las Vegas, NV. Roosters not allowed. Hens allowed if kept in a coop, but must notify Animal Control first. Chickens can't be kept in a basement, house or cellar. Wenham, MA. Chickens allowed, but the town may restrict your operation if it causes a public nuisance (noise) or public health issues. Vallejo, CA. You are allowed to keep up to 25 chickens if they are kept 15 ft. from neighboring dwellings. Roosters are allowed but subject to noise nuisance violations. Topeka, KS. Unlimited chickens allowed. Santa Fe, NM. Unlimited chickens allowed. Chicago, IL (Title 7 ch 7-12) Unlimited chickens allowed. Cannot kill chickens in city. Los Angeles, CA. (Ch 1, Art 2) No permit required for 5 or less. Richmond, VA: (part II ch 4, art 1, sec 4-3) Unspecified number allowed subject to Health Dept inspection. Aiken, SC. Chickens must be penned. Albuquerque, NM. Unlimited if penned at least 20 feet from neighboring dwellings. Bakersfield, CA. Municipal code 6.08.010: Any chickens must be "kept securely enclosed in a yard or pen at all times." Des Moines, IA. Lots smaller than 1 acre, up to 30 birds; lots 1 acre or larger, up to 50 birds. Not allowed in the front yard, and must be at least 25' from neighbors. West Des Moines, IA. Chickens may not "run at large." Bothell, WA. Must keep coop 20 ft. from your own property line. If your neighbors say it's okay, you may place chickens closer to your shared property line. Greensboro, NC: (ch 5 art1): Chickens allowed, no restrictions. Raleigh, NC. No limit on number of chickens kept. Chapel Hill, NC. 20 chickens allowed. Oakland, CA. Keep chicken enclosed, & 20 ft. from any dwelling, church or school. Denver, CO. Chicken permit must be purchased from the city for $50 & you must show that the enclosure will be clean & pest free. San Jose, CA. Up to six chickens must be kept at least 20 ft. from a neighbors house. More than 6 need a permit. No roosters. Dallas, TX (Vol 1 ch 7 art 1 sec 7) No roosters. Shelter required. No disturbing noises or nuisance. Salt Lake City, UT (title 8, ch 8, sec 8) Annual permit $5 per hen up to $40/year. 50 feet from neighbor's homes. Roseville, CA. Maximum 10 chickens kept 20 ft. from any property line &/or building. St. Louis, MO. You can keep up to four chickens without a permit. If you want to keep more, you must file a permit (cost is $40) with the Health Commissioner. Berkely, CA. Chickens must be kept penned and 30 ft. away from any bedrooms. Indianapolis, IN: (Title III Ch 531 Art 1 Sec 531) Chickens allowed, no prohibitions. Lexington, KY: (Ch 4, Sec 4-10) No prohibitions, but chickens cannot roam at large. Louisville, KY: (Title 9, ch 90, sec 90.01) No prohibition or restrictions on keeping chickens in the city. Portland, OR. Three hens allowed without a permit. No roosters. Permit for more costs $31. Keep 25ft. from residences. Gresham, OR. Unlimited “livestock” allowed, provided they are kept 100ft. from neighbors, which is possible only on uncommonly large lots. Spokane, WA. Up to three chickens allowed.. Can have up to three animals total. Falls Church, VA. Chickens not allowed. No "agricultural animals." Topeka, KS. Unlimited chickens allowed. Chickens must be penned 50 feet from any neighbors house. Syracuse, NY. Chickens sometimes allowed. Depends on zoning. No roosters. Mobile, AL. Unlimited chickens allowed. No breeding, no roosters. Santa Rosa, CA. Up to 25. May have 25 chickens per 20,000 square feet. No chickens in residential areas zoned R1, R2 or PRC. Westfield, MA. Chickens not allowed. No "livestock." Maximum of five cats and dogs. Casper, WY. Chickens sometimes allowed. Can have chickens in special circumstances, like 4-H. Corvallis, OR. Unlimited chickens allowed. No roosters. Chickens must be penned. Santa Fe, NM. Unlimited chickens allowed. Little Rock, AR. Up to four chickens allowed. Up to four animals total. Oswego, NY. Chickens not allowed. Can only have chickens that were "grandfathered." New York City, NY. Unlimited. Must have permit for chickens. Must be kept clean. No other poultry allowed, no roosters. Chicago, IL. Can have unlimited number of chickens if use is only for pets or eggs; cannot have if use is to slaughter. Must be penned. Seattle, WA. Can have a total of three small animals; more if the lot is large. Houston, TX. Up to 30 chickens allowed. Chickens must be kept 100 feet from neighboring structures. Detroit, MI. Not allowed. No "farm animals." Miami, FL. May have up to 15 hens, no roosters. Must be contained at least 100 feet from neighboring structures. Minneapolis, MN. Unlimited. Applicant needs consent from 80 percent of neighbors within 100 feet of real estate. Chickens must be penned. Los Angeles, CA. Unlimited. Chickens may not be within 20 feet of owner's residence, and must be at least 35 feet from any other dwelling. Round Rock, TX. Up to 5 fowl if your chicken pen is 25 ft. away from neighbor's residences. If the pen is 50 ft. away, you can have 10 fowl. Portland, ME. Chickens not legal. Burlington, VT. Up to 3 fowl per household. Aiken, SC. Chickens must be penned, and the pen kept 40 ft. from neighboring residences. San Antonio, TX. Up to 5 of any kind of fowl, any gender, per household. Must keep in a pen, 20 feet from any other dwelling. Ponca City, OK. Chickens must be kept 100 ft. from neighbor's houses, so this essentially makes keeping chickens impossible on normal lots. Austin, TX. Up to 10 fowl per household, but keep in enclosure that's 50 ft. away from neighbors. Anaheim, CA. Can keep 3 chickens on a 5,000 sq.ft. lot, 6 chickens on a 10,000 sq.ft. lot. Albuquerque, NM. Zoning allows the raising of unlimited poultry if penned at least 20 feet from neighboring dwellings. Madison, WI. Up to four chickens per household. Not allowed to roam free. Keep pen 25 ft. from neighbors. $6 annual permit required. Boston, MA. All residential zones in Boston forbid "auxilliary keeping of animals", which includes poultry and other livestock. Huntsville, AL. Fowl must be kept 150 ft. from neighboring residences, which of course is impossible on your typical city lot. Lawrenceville, GA. No chickens allowed. However, apparently this law is only enforced if someone complains. San Jose, CA. Up to 6 chickens at least 20 ft. from residences. Up to 4 chickens 15 ft. away from residences. 0 less than 15 ft. No roosters. Mountain View, CA. Up to 4 hens without a permit. Keep 25 ft. from residences. Within 25 ft. is o.k. with written consent from residences. No roosters. Nampa, ID. Keep 50 ft. from neighbors. Pay $50 for a permit. Only 3 chickens allowed and no roosters. Bakersfield, CA. Municipal code 6.08.010: Any chickens must be "kept securely enclosed in a yard or pen at all times." Des Moines, IA. Lots smaller than 1 acre, up to 30 birds; lots 1 acre or larger, up to 50 birds. Not allowed in the front yard, and must be at least 25' from neighbors. Johnston, IA. "No...chickens shall be allowed to run at large within the corporate limits of the city..." Urbandale, IA. Chickens must be kept at least 150 feet from any dwelling. Clive, IA. No more than 12 chickens on lots less than 1.5 acres. Must be 150 feet from homes and 50 feet from property line. West Des Moines, IA. Chickens may not "run at large." Windsor Heights, IA. No more than 2 chickens allowed; must be kept in a coop at all times. Must be at least 25' from neighboring residences, and may not be in front yard. Waukee, IA. No fowl shall be kept within the city limits of the City, except in A-1 District or A-2 Annexation District on tracts of one (1) or more acres. Sioux City, IA. Permit required. No roosters over 4 months old. No more than 50 birds total. Must be at least 25' from the home and at least 150' from neighboring homes. Davenport, IA. Chickens not allowed, unless property is zoned as agricultural. Raleigh, NC. No limit on number of chickens kept. Chapel Hill, NC. 20 chickens allowed. Lafayette, CA. Residents can keep approximately 4 chickens. Alpharetta, GA. There is a 75 chicken maxium. Catawissa, PA. Chickens must be confined, no closer than 10 feet from neighboring properties, kept clean with no odors eminating across property lines. Seattle, WA. Municipal Code 23.44.048 says up to 3 domestic fowl may be kept on any lot. Eugene, OR. A maximum of 2 hens, no roosters, kept 20 feet from dwellings. Oakland, CA. Keep chicken enclosed, & 20 ft. from any dwelling, church or school. Bothell, WA. You may own 3 or less fowl. Must keep coop 20 ft. from your own property line. If your neighbors say it’s okay, you may place chickens closer to your shared property line. San Jose, CA. Up to six hickens must be kept at least 20 ft. from a neighbors house. More than 6 need a permit. No roosters. Northglenn, CO. Not allowed unless property is zoned for agriculture. Westminster, CO. Not allowed unless property is zoned for agriculture. Denver, CO. Chicken permit must be purchased from the city for $50 & you must show that the enclosure will be clean & pest free. Thornton, CO. Not zoned for fowl. Wenham, MA. Poultry allowed, but the town may restrict your operation if it causes a public nuisance (noise) or public health issues (disease). Laredo, TX. If you keep 6 or fewer chickens, set-backs are not restricted. If you keep more than 6 chickens, you must keep the pen 100 ft. from any occupied building, besides your own. Las Vegas, NV. Roosters not allowed. Hens allowed if kept in a coop, but must notify Animal Control first. Chickens can’t be kept in a basement, house or cellar. Downey, CA. Up to five chickens allowed per lot. Woodland, CA. It is OK to keep up to 6 hens provided they are kept over 40 ft. from neighboring residences. Vallejo, CA. You are allowed to keep up to 25 chickens if they are kept 15 ft. from neighboring dwellings. Roosters are allowed but subject to noise nuisance violations. Toledo, OH. Not legal to keep chickens within the city limits. Roseville, CA. Maximum 10 chickens kept 20 ft. from any property line &/or building. They don't delineate hens or roosters. St. Louis, MO. You can keep up to four chickens without a permit. If you want to keep more, you must file a permit (cost is $40) with the Health Commissioner. Mission Viejo, CA. You are allowed up to two chickens, and roosters are not allowed. Salem, OR. There have been recent debates in Salem regarding the current law that chickens are illegal here. Berkely, CA. Chickens must be kept penned and 30 ft. away from any bedrooms. Riga / Churchville, NY. Chickens allowed but all housing of livestock has to be 100 ft. off of any lot lines. Esquimalt, BC Canada. No poultry keeping is allowed in the Municipality of Esquimalt. However up to 10 caged "ornamental birds" (kept primarily for show) are allowed. (Their official definition of "Ornamental Bird" does not exclude chickens.) Victoria, BC Canada. Has a bylaw that supports raising urban poultry. No Roosters. No "Farm Animals". Poultry are not classified as "farm animals" under Victoria's bylaws. State College, PA. Legal to raise chickens provided they are housed “under sanitary conditions" and that they "shall not become either a public or private nuisance." No mention of numbers restrictions. Pittsburgh, PA. "Fowl at large” are not permitted in unenclosed areas, other peoples' property, or public lands. Also, “no more than 5 pets per household" city limit and animal nuisance prohibitions as well. Louisville, KY. If you have non-crowing poultry, you can have up to five birds. Must be penned and not allowed to roam on the owner’s land. Westwood, MA. Up to 10 fowl allowed on lots less than 40,000 sq. feet, Coop must be 15 feet from property lines. Permit application must include site plan. $10 annual permit fee and BOH inspection prior to issuance of the permit. Cockerels must be kept 1,000 feet from property lines. Guilford, ME. "There shall be no poultry or livestock in the Town of Guilford within the municipal Water or Sewer Districts, with the exception that if the lot is 5 acres or more the Planning Board will have the authority to grant a variance.” Basically, no poultry or livestock within the Water or Sewer Districts. Sanford, FL. A recent law (2007) says that this city does not allow chickens and you can only have 3 dogs and 3 cats. No potbelly pigs, goats, etc. Stillwater, OK. Chickens may not be kept within 150 feet of any house. In addition, any pen for poultry must enclose a minimum of 900 square feet. Greebay, WI. The law reads: May have 4 birds over 8 inches tall per residence plus a clutch or part of a clutch for 8 weeks. Atlanta, GA. Chickens are allowed here. La Puente,CA. Up to 20 chickens allowed for each ten thousand sq. feet of lot area in residential zones. New Orleans, LA. Sale or donation of chicks younger than 4 weeks of age is prohibited except in quantities of 12 to an individual. Giving fowl away as prize or advertizing device is also prohibited. Chickens are to be treated humanely and kept in clean, sturdy housing. Nashville, TN. Has an unlimited chicken law assuming “No person shall keep chickens within the metropolitan government area in such a manner that a nuisance is created” and are kept penned, no “fowl at large.” Omaha, NE. May have chickens in city limits as long as they are hens, no roosters, for egg production. Must have enclosure, subject to The Humane Society inspection, to apply for permit. Brigham City, UT. Definition of domesticated animal includes 'fowls' Section 4:01.16 defines that the pets can be kept in humane enclosure not larger than 50 cubic feet. It also states that 'household pets' will be no more than 6 birds. South Portland, ME. No chickens of any kind allowed. Woodinville, WA. No restrictions in the code for animals according to the planning department. Gig Harbor, WA. No regulations for animals except bees. Olympia, WA. Up to 3 birds, hens are considered, roosters prohibited. Tacoma, WA. Livestock allowed in the city Boise, ID. Up to three "pet" hens allowed. No roosters.
Columbus and Dayton Ohio, and Yellow springs. My town allows them, because the town still has some farms within city limits. When it comes to roosters, I have neighbors who's dogs are louder XD don't no one call no cops
