Harford County allows homestead chickens on lots of at least 1 acre, capping flocks at 10 birds on lots under 2 acres and requiring a 50-foot coop setback from neighboring lot lines. A Maryland Department of Agriculture poultry registration must accompany the zoning certificate.
Backyard poultry is governed by the Harford County Zoning Code. Homestead chickens require a minimum lot of 1 acre, and lots under 2 acres are limited to 10 birds, with a 50-foot setback from adjacent residential lot lines for any coop, run, pen, or free-range area. Each coop must have four walls, a roof, ventilation, flooring, and at least three square feet per bird. A State of Maryland Department of Agriculture poultry registration is submitted with the zoning certificate. Larger livestock is allowed in the county's agricultural zones across the rural north around Jarrettsville and Fallston, where farms also gain Maryland right-to-farm protection.
Keeping poultry or livestock against the Zoning Code draws a zoning-enforcement notice and fines and can require removing the animals or coop. Nuisance odor or noise is separately enforceable.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Harford County, MD
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