Cities That Ban Backyard Chickens (and Why)

Coop Ready Cities that ban chickens

Cities that ban chickens

6 of the 87 places on Coop Ready keep chickens off ordinary home lots, and 10 more allow them on paper but only on big lots or with distance rules most yards cannot meet.

An outright ban is rare. Most "bans" work through zoning that allows chickens only on farm or large-lot land, or through a coop distance so large that a normal city lot cannot meet it.

No chickens on a typical home lot (6)

Chickens are kept to agricultural, large-lot or industrial zoning in these places.

Place	Hen limit	Coop placement
Bakersfield, CA	Not on typical home lots	Not applicable
Fresno, CA	Not in residential zones	Not applicable
Peachtree Corners, GA	Only on owner-occupied lots of 3 acres or more	Animal quarters at least 100 ft from any property line
Smyrna, GA	Not allowed in single-family districts	Not applicable
Philadelphia, PA	Only on parcels of 3 acres or more	Not applicable
Virginia Beach, VA	Agricultural zones only	Not applicable

Only on bigger lots (4)

Hens are allowed, but not on smaller residential lots.

Place	Hen limit	Coop placement
Birmingham, AL	No set number in city code	Pen at least 100 ft from any dwelling, church, school, park or street
Alpharetta, GA	6 (lots of 1 acre or more only)	Coop and run at least 25 ft from rear and side property lines
Cherokee County, GA	8 (lots of 20,000 sq ft or more)	Enclosure at least 25 ft from property lines and 50 ft from homes on neighboring lots
Roswell, GA	By lot size: none under 0.33 acre; 6 on 0.34 to 1 acre; 12 per acre (up to 36) over 1 acre	Enclosure at least 25 ft from any home on an abutting lot

Allowed, but the coop distance rules out most lots (6)

Hens are legal, but the coop has to sit very far from homes or lot lines. Test your own yard in the free planner before you give up.

Place	Hen limit	Coop placement
Washington, DC	No set number (the permit lists it)	50 ft from any dwelling (including yours) and 250 ft from property lines unless all neighbors within 100 ft consent in writing
Miami, FL	15	100 ft from any home
Columbus, GA	6 on a single-family lot (more on lots of 2 acres or more)	Coop at least 50 ft from any lot line
Johns Creek, GA	75 (combined cap for chickens and similar fowl)	Birds kept at least 100 ft from any occupied building other than the owner's home
Kansas City, MO	15	100 ft from other homes
Houston, TX	30 in city code	100 ft from any home in city code

Depends on your zoning (3)

Some residential districts allow hens and others do not. Look up your parcel's zoning district.

Place	Hen limit	Coop placement
DeKalb County, GA	1 hen per 2,000 sq ft of lot (lots of 10,000 sq ft or more)	Coop at least 20 ft from any property line and 50 ft from any home other than yours
Forsyth County, GA	8 (lots of half an acre or more)	Coop at least 20 ft from rear and side lines and 50 ft from neighbors' homes
Macon, GA	6 hens where allowed in residential districts	At least 15 ft from side and rear property lines, behind the back wall of the house, and closer to your home than to your neighbor's

Chicken ban questions

Which big cities ban backyard chickens?

On Coop Ready: Bakersfield, CA, Fresno, CA, Peachtree Corners, GA, Smyrna, GA, Philadelphia, PA, Virginia Beach, VA. Each city page links to the code that keeps chickens off typical home lots.

Is it legal to keep chickens if my city bans them?

No. Where a city keeps chickens off residential lots, keeping them can bring a code violation and fines. Some cities have changed their rules after residents asked, so it can be worth asking your council.

What if my lot is in the county, not the city?

Then the county rules apply, and they are often looser on bigger lots. Check your county zoning code.

Can I get an exception?

Some places allow a variance, a special use permit or a larger-lot exception. Ask the planning or zoning office.

Check your own yard

Pick your city, draw your lot on a satellite map and drop in a coop. Coop Ready checks the distances, then lets you share the plan or print a free permit site plan.

Plan my coop