Alameda, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Backyard poultry in Alameda is governed by the City's own code, not Alameda County's animal-keeping standards. Municipal Code Section 7-4.1 (Keeping Chickens and Other Domestic Fowl) makes it unlawful to keep 'more than six (6) chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys or other domestic fowl' on any premises in the City. Any such fowl must be kept in an enclosure, no part of which is within twenty (20) feet of any dwelling house occupied by humans, excluding the keeper's own dwelling. Fowl may be kept temporarily for sale at a licensed shop. A grandfather clause allowed residents who kept more than six fowl when the section was adopted to keep up to twenty, provided they registered their bird count with the animal shelter before April 1, 1983. Section 7-4.2 (Animal Quarters and Yards to be Kept Sanitary) requires fowl quarters and yards to be kept clean, and Section 7-4.3 addresses conditions that constitute a public nuisance. The city code does not impose a separate setback or permit specific to roosters within Chapter VII. As a dense island city, Alameda's six-bird cap and 20-foot enclosure setback are the binding city rules; Alameda County's unincorporated animal-keeping standards do not apply inside the incorporated city.