Asheville, NC Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 3-50(a) bars keeping fowl in the city outside a lawfully established nonconforming use or a permitted event unless the owner holds a license; roosters are expressly prohibited, though roosters previously permitted stay grandfathered for the life of the bird as long as the owner stays compliant and the rooster creates no public nuisance. Section 3-50(b) applies the § 3-9(a)(3) distance requirements to fowl, except fowl kept exclusively inside the owner's household. To get licensed, § 3-51(a) requires an annual fee set in the city's fees and charges manual and registration with the city's license-collecting agent, and the animal control administrator can inspect the property for compliance.

A license can be revoked at any time for violating its terms or any other chapter provision, and once revoked, § 3-51(b) gives the owner seven days to remove the fowl and any coop from the premises. Section 3-52 sets enclosure standards: the fowl house and run must be fully enclosed with fowl kept inside at all times, the house used only for fowl and built and ventilated for regular cleaning, the run well-drained to avoid standing moisture, the floor and walls kept clean with droppings and waste removed promptly, and the number and type of fowl matched to the size of the coop and run.