Keeping chickens and other fowl as an accessory to a home in unincorporated Ventura County is allowed under the Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance, with the number tied to your zone and lot size through an animal-unit system. Roosters are separately capped, and birds must be contained on the property with required setbacks.
In unincorporated Ventura County, the keeping of animals and fowl as accessory to a dwelling is regulated by the Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance (NCZO), Division 8, Chapter 1, primarily Section 8107-2 (animal keeping), administered by the County Planning Division. The number of chickens and other poultry you may keep is not a single flat figure; it is determined by your zone classification and lot size under the ordinance's animal-unit standards, and all animals must be contained on the property and maintained at the required setback distances from neighboring (off-site) dwelling units. In the coastal zone, Section 8175-5.2.4 (Animals and fowl) of the Coastal Zoning Ordinance applies similar standards. Roosters are treated separately and strictly: under Article 9 (Roosters), Sections 4494.1 through 4494.5 of Chapter 4 of the Ordinance Code, most residents may keep a maximum of four (4) roosters per parcel, subject to zoning limits on the number of animals per parcel. Recognized 4-H and FFA youth projects and legitimate poultry hobbyists/fanciers may apply to Ventura County Animal Services for a rooster-keeping permit allowing up to five (5) roosters of the same breed, for a maximum of twenty-five (25) roosters per parcel. Because exact allowances depend on your parcel's zone and acreage, confirm with the County Planning Division before adding poultry.
Keeping more poultry than the zoning animal-unit limits allow, exceeding the rooster cap, or failing to maintain required setbacks are zoning/code violations; under Sec. 4494.3(c) each rooster kept over the limit is a separate violation, and crowing roosters can also trigger a barking/nuisance citation under Sec. 4467-12.
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