Aiken County, SC Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Sec. 26 permits keeping domestic chickens for egg production or as pets in the RC, RD, RM, NC, UD, OR, LD, IND, RH5, RH5B, and HCO zoning districts, and on RRC lots under three acres, but only as a conditional use tied to specific limits. The keeping of chickens is allowed solely as an accessory use to a single-family detached house, meaning it cannot be the primary use of a lot or attach to multifamily or commercial property. No more than six domestic chickens total, counting adult male roosters, may be kept on a single premises, and rooster-keeping is separately cross-referenced to the noise standard in Sec.

of the county code. Chickens cannot be left to roam free; birds found at large are treated as a nuisance enforceable under article III of chapter 15. Coops count as accessory structures and must be sited in the rear yard, at least five feet from every property line, and if any part of the coop sits within 25 feet of a neighboring dwelling it must be screened from the side or rear lot line with shrubbery or a privacy fence. Housing must be sturdy enough to confine the birds and deter predators.

The ordinance flatly bars keeping chickens for commercial purposes, and owners must still separately comply with all applicable federal, state, and local health regulations. The section was adopted by Ord. No. 18-02-04 in February 2018 and amended by Ord. No. 24-01-04 in January 2024.