Birmingham, AL Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

The City of Birmingham Zoning Ordinance (Title 1, Chapter 4: Land Use Development Standards, Permitted as Accessory) governs keeping hens. In the D-1, D-2 and D-3 residential districts a chicken coop is permitted as an accessory use to a dwelling subject to numbered conditions: it must be accessory to an occupied single-family detached residence; hens may not be kept inside the residence and must be in the coop/run at all times; roosters are prohibited; no more than 6 hens per property; an enclosed predator-proof coop/run no larger than 80 square feet and no more than six feet tall must be in the rear yard, set back at least 10 feet from property lines and 15 feet from residential structures on adjacent lots; slaughtering is prohibited; and the coop must be maintained to control odor and pests.

In the AG district setbacks increase (100 feet from property lines, 300 feet from street right-of-way, 300 feet from the nearest residence). Larger agricultural operations are handled by special exception: under Chapter 4 Article II Section 9, a coop with up to 100 hens may be allowed by the Board in C-2, I-1, I-2 and I-3 districts as accessory to an urban farm, and a livestock barn is an accessory use only in the AG district. Alabama also limits municipal interference with bona-fide agricultural livestock husbandry on private property (Ala. Code 2-15-5), so the city's rules operate through zoning, business-license and nuisance authority.