Albany, OR Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

In the City of Albany, Oregon, backyard hens fall under the poultry and fowl limits in Albany Municipal Code § 6.10.010, which applies to keeping animals for more than 72 hours. For poultry, fowl (including domestic and game birds raised for meat, eggs, breeding, or other purposes) and rabbits, the limit is not more than two animals on any lot less than 7,000 square feet in area, and each additional animal requires an additional 3,000 square feet of lot area. Larger stock is measured differently: horses, cows, sheep, and goats need one-half acre of open yard area for each animal over the age of six months. Swine are limited to two animals under seven months of age on a lot of at least one acre for up to four consecutive months in a 12-month period for educational purposes.

Someone who wants more animals than the section permits needs the approval of the City Manager, and only when written approval is obtained from the owners of all improved property contiguous to the applicant and within 200 feet of any fence, hutch, or pen containing the animals. Juvenile swine require written approval from the owners of adjacent properties within 300 feet. Permission granted by the City Manager is revocable by the City Council.

Section 6.10.020 adds containment rules. Poultry, fowl, and rabbits must be contained within hutches, fences, or pens inaccessible to other predatory animals and set back a minimum of 10 feet from adjoining property lines and 20 feet from any public right-of-way. No animal in the chapter can be contained by tethering, hobbling, or electric or barbwire fences. Exceeding the number allowed is itself a public nuisance under § 6.10.040(1), and noise or odor from the animals is a nuisance under subsections (2) and (3).