Free Tool

Backyard Chicken Ordinance Finder

Select your state and city to get a plain-language summary of your local hen limits, permit status, coop setback requirements, and rooster rules. Updated for 2025.

🔍 Find Your City's Chicken Rules

50+ cities covered. Select state first, then city.

Step 1 — Select your state
⚠️ Always verify current rules directly with your city's planning or animal services department. Ordinances change.
Don't see your city?

Browse our state pages for additional city listings, or check our full city directory. We're adding new cities regularly. Your city's ordinance is also typically findable by searching "[city name] municipal code animals" or calling your local animal control office.

How to Read Your Results

🐔 Hen Limit The maximum number of female chickens (hens) permitted on a residential lot. This does not include roosters, which are usually banned separately.
📝 Permit Required Whether you need to apply for and receive a permit from the city before keeping chickens. A "No" here means chickens are allowed without paperwork as long as you meet other rules.
📐 Coop Setback The minimum distance your coop must be from your property line and/or neighboring homes. This is the most common reason permits get denied. Full guide →
🚫 Roosters Whether male chickens are permitted. Most urban and suburban cities ban roosters due to noise. Rural zones within a city may have different rules.
📋

Free Download: "Before You Buy Your First Hen" Checklist

Print this one-page checklist and work through it before your chickens arrive. Covers city code, HOA, permit, coop placement, and neighbor rules.

Download Free →
Informational Only. Data in this tool reflects publicly available municipal ordinances as of 2025. Ordinances change frequently. Always verify current requirements with your city's planning department, animal services office, or municipal code before acquiring chickens or beginning construction on a coop. Nothing in this tool constitutes legal advice.