Lassen County, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Lassen County is a rural high-desert ranching county, and keeping poultry is common on agricultural and rural-residential parcels. The County's animal-control code (Title 8) focuses on dogs, nuisance animals and licensing rather than setting a specific backyard-chicken cap, so the practical limit on poultry comes from the zoning code administered by Lassen County Planning & Building Services. Allowed animal-keeping (including chickens, ducks and other fowl) and any setbacks for coops or enclosures depend on the parcel's zoning district and lot size; agricultural and exclusive-agricultural districts allow extensive animal keeping, while smaller residential lots may be more limited. Title 8's general nuisance provisions still apply to poultry: an animal that by habitual noise (for example, a crowing rooster) disturbs the peace and quiet of the neighborhood can be declared a nuisance, and the written affirmation of three unrelated persons with separate residences is prima facie evidence of such a disturbance. If you intend to sell eggs, California's Department of Food and Agriculture requires shell-egg handler registration. Because rules turn on your specific zoning, verify allowed numbers, setbacks and rooster rules directly with County Planning before establishing a flock.