Porterville, CA Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)

Chapter 5, Article VI governs pigeon-keeping specifically. Section 5-6.1 requires that pigeons selectively bred for racing, homing, or sporting purposes obtain a conditional use permit from the city council under Chapter 21, article 604 before being kept in a residential zoning district, and section 5-6.2 limits the article to parcels of 6,000 square feet or more in residential zones. Section 5-6.3 requires every such pigeon to wear a seamless leg band identifying its registered national organization and birth year; unbanded birds are not treated as racing, homing, or sporting pigeons under the article.

Section 5-6.4 caps the number cumulatively at one bird per 1,000 square feet of lot area on lots under 10,000 square feet, rising to two birds per 1,000 square feet on larger lots, and section 5-6.5 requires the loft to meet the underlying zone's setback, height, and lot-coverage limits, plus its own minimum setbacks: 10 feet from residential structures on site and 20 feet from an adjoining property line for up to 20 birds, with the property-line setback growing by one foot for every bird over 20.

Owners must stay current members of a nationally recognized pigeon association (section 5-6.9) and document that membership with the permit application (section 5-6.11), and squabs over six weeks old are capped at 12 per property (section 5-6.8), with commercial pigeon breeding prohibited outright. The city retains a right of entry to verify permit compliance at any time (section 5-6.12), and the conditional use permit can be revoked by the city council for any violation of its conditions unless corrected within 10 days of notice (section 5-6.13).