Coop Ready Rooster laws
Rooster laws by city
Most cities do not allow roosters on a home lot. 56 of the 87 places on Coop Ready (64%) ban them, 20 allow them with limits, and 2 allow them outright.
Hens lay eggs without a rooster. You only need one to hatch chicks, and crowing is the number one reason neighbors complain, which is why so many codes say "hens only".
Cities that ban roosters (56)
Roosters are not allowed on a typical home lot in these places.
| Place | Roosters | Hen limit |
|---|---|---|
| Chandler, AZ | Banned | 6 |
| Tucson, AZ | Banned (male fowl) | 2 per 1,000 sq ft of lot, up to 24 (lots under 16,000 sq ft) |
| Bakersfield, CA | Banned | Not on typical home lots |
| Fresno, CA | Banned | Not in residential zones |
| Long Beach, CA | Banned | 20 (4 without a permit) |
| Oakland, CA | Banned | No set limit |
| Riverside, CA | Banned (crowing fowl, RE and R-1 zones) | 5 (RE and R-1 zones) |
| Sacramento, CA | Banned | 3 |
| San Diego, CA | Banned | 5 to 25, depending on setbacks |
| San Jose, CA | Banned | 6 (up to 20 with a permit) |
| Colorado Springs, CO | Banned | 10 fowl (4 months or older) |
| Denver, CO | Banned | 8 |
| Jacksonville, FL | Banned | 5 (lots up to 1 acre) |
| Miami, FL | Banned | 15 |
| Orlando, FL | Banned | 4 |
| Tampa, FL | Banned | 1 per 1,000 sq ft of lot |
| Alpharetta, GA | Banned | 6 (lots of 1 acre or more only) |
| Athens, GA | Banned (any crowing chicken) | 6 per parcel |
| Brookhaven, GA | Banned | 1 per 1,000 sq ft of lot, up to 25 (lots of 6,000 sq ft or more only) |
| Cherokee County, GA | Banned | 8 (lots of 20,000 sq ft or more) |
| Cobb County, GA | Banned on lots under 2 acres | 1 hen per 5,000 sq ft on lots under 2 acres |
| DeKalb County, GA | Banned | 1 hen per 2,000 sq ft of lot (lots of 10,000 sq ft or more) |
| Dunwoody, GA | Banned (also crowing hens, ducks, geese and turkeys) | 6 (lots of 10,000 sq ft or more only) |
| Forsyth County, GA | Banned (and any crowing fowl) | 8 (lots of half an acre or more) |
| Gwinnett County, GA | Banned (no variance allowed) | 3 to 10 by lot size (lots of 10,500 sq ft or more); no limit on 3+ acres |
| Macon, GA | Banned (ducks, geese, turkeys and other fowl too) | 6 hens where allowed in residential districts |
| Marietta, GA | Banned | 4 |
| Peachtree Corners, GA | Counted as livestock (3+ acres only) | Only on owner-occupied lots of 3 acres or more |
| Roswell, GA | Banned | By lot size: none under 0.33 acre; 6 on 0.34 to 1 acre; 12 per acre (up to 36) over 1 acre |
| Smyrna, GA | Banned (no poultry in residential districts) | Not allowed in single-family districts |
| Boise, ID | Banned | 6 (as pets) |
| New Orleans, LA | Banned | 6 (more needs a conditional use) |
| Baltimore, MD | Banned (hens only) | 4 to 10, by lot size |
| Boston, MA | Banned | 6 |
| Detroit, MI | Banned | 8 (chickens and ducks combined) |
| St. Louis, MO | Banned | 8, limited by coop and run space |
| Omaha, NE | Banned | 10 |
| Las Vegas, NV | Banned | 10 |
| New York, NY | Banned | No set limit |
| Columbus, OH | Banned | Set by coop space |
| Oklahoma City, OK | Banned | 6 |
| Portland, OR | Banned | 4 (6 on lots of 10,000 sq ft or more) |
| Philadelphia, PA | Banned | Only on parcels of 3 acres or more |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Banned | 5 on a 2,000 sq ft lot, plus 1 for each extra 1,000 sq ft |
| Charleston, SC | Banned | No set number in code |
| Chattanooga, TN | Banned (allowed only in A-1 zoning) | 8 |
| Knoxville, TN | Banned | 6 |
| Nashville, TN | Banned | 2 to 6, by lot size |
| Arlington, TX | Banned | 4 (more on bigger lots) |
| Houston, TX | Banned in city code (Sec. 6-38) | 30 in city code |
| Plano, TX | Banned | Counts toward 10 animals per lot, pets included |
| Salt Lake City, UT | Banned | 15 |
| Richmond, VA | Banned | 6 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | Banned | Agricultural zones only |
| Seattle, WA | Banned | 8 |
| Milwaukee, WI | Banned | 4 |
Roosters allowed with limits (20)
Allowed, but only one, only with a permit or neighbor consent, only far from homes, or only if they do not disturb the neighbors.
| Place | Roosters | Hen limit |
|---|---|---|
| Gilbert, AZ | 1 per 20,000 sq ft of lot | 6 on lots of half an acre or less |
| Mesa, AZ | Allowed unless noisy | 10 (first half acre) |
| Phoenix, AZ | Banned if noisy | 6 (lots of half an acre or less) |
| Scottsdale, AZ | Not banned (habitual crowing is a nuisance) | No set limit (state law protects 6) |
| Los Angeles, CA | 1 allowed | No set limit |
| St. Petersburg, FL | Not banned (crowing that breaks the noise rule is a nuisance) | 10 fowl, on any size lot |
| Tallahassee, FL | 1 allowed with hens | No set limit |
| Atlanta, GA | Not banned (crowing nuisance rule applies) | 25 |
| Indianapolis, IN | 1 allowed | 12 |
| Louisville, KY | 1 crowing bird (lots under half an acre) | 5 non-crowing poultry (lots under half an acre) |
| Minneapolis, MN | Special permit only | 6 |
| Kansas City, MO | Banned within 300 ft of homes | 15 |
| Albuquerque, NM | 1 allowed | 15 |
| Charlotte, NC | Allowed with a permit | 20 per acre |
| Cincinnati, OH | 1 per 15 hens, kept 50 ft from all lot lines | 6 (12 on lots of 10,000 sq ft or more, 24 over 20,000 sq ft) |
| Cleveland, OH | Only on lots of 1 acre or more, 100 ft from lot lines | 1 per 800 sq ft of lot, up to 6 |
| Austin, TX | Allowed (noise rules apply) | No set limit |
| El Paso, TX | Up to 3 | 5 (more with a permit) |
| Fort Worth, TX | Up to 2, counted in the limit | 12 (lots of half an acre or less) |
| San Antonio, TX | 1 allowed | 8 |
Roosters allowed (2)
The code allows roosters. Noise and nuisance rules still apply, so a rooster that crows at 5 a.m. can still bring a complaint.
| Place | Roosters | Hen limit |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | Allowed | No set limit |
| Dallas, TX | Allowed (state law) | No set limit |
Rooster rule not stated (9)
The code we read does not mention roosters. Call the city before you get one; a general noise or nuisance rule may still apply.
| Place | Roosters | Hen limit |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham, AL | Not stated | No set number in city code |
| San Francisco, CA | Not stated | 4 animals total |
| Washington, DC | Not stated | No set number (the permit lists it) |
| Columbus, GA | Not named (noise and odor rules apply) | 6 on a single-family lot (more on lots of 2 acres or more) |
| Decatur, GA | Not named in the code | No set limit |
| Johns Creek, GA | Not named in the code | 75 (combined cap for chickens and similar fowl) |
| Sandy Springs, GA | Not named in the code | 75 (combined cap for chickens and similar fowl) |
| Savannah, GA | Not named in the code | 1 per 1,000 sq ft of high ground, up to 30 |
| Tulsa, OK | Not stated | 6 |
Rooster law questions
Are roosters allowed in city limits?
Usually not. 56 of the 87 places on Coop Ready ban roosters on a typical home lot. A few allow one rooster, or allow them with a permit, neighbor consent or a large distance from homes.
Do I need a rooster for my hens to lay eggs?
No. Hens lay eggs without a rooster. A rooster is only needed for fertile eggs that can hatch into chicks.
What if my city does not mention roosters?
Ask the city before you get one. Even where the code is silent, noise and nuisance rules can apply to a crowing rooster.
Can my HOA ban roosters if the city allows them?
Yes. HOA covenants and deed restrictions can be stricter than the city code.
Check your own yard
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More from Coop Ready
- Cities that ban chickens
- HOA chicken rules
- Arizona chicken laws
- California chicken laws
- Florida chicken laws
- Georgia chicken laws
- Texas chicken laws
See every city on Coop Ready →
Coop Ready is a free planning aid from Cooped Up Life, not legal advice. Codes change, and zoning, HOA rules and your exact parcel can change what is allowed. Confirm with your city or county before you build.
