Blue Hill, NE Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitted district
- Agricultural (AG) district only
- Prohibited districts
- Residential, General Commercial, Downtown, Light Industrial
- Governing table
- Article Four, Use Regulation Matrix
- Enforcement
- Zoning Administrator; misdemeanor, up to $100/day
- Jurisdiction reach
- City limits plus extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction
Summary
Blue Hill's zoning ordinance confines livestock pens, hog houses, hatcheries and poultry houses to the Agricultural (AG) district: Article Four's Use Regulation Matrix marks them prohibited everywhere else, including the Residential (R), General Commercial (GC), Downtown (DT) and Light Industrial (LI) districts. Keeping chickens, hogs or other livestock on a residential lot in Blue Hill or its extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction is not a permitted use.
Livestock pens or hog houses P — —— — AG = Agriculture; R = Residential; CG = Commercial General; DT = Downtown; LI = Light Industrial; P = permitted use; C = conditional use permit required; A = accessory uses. A dash (“—“) = prohibited uses. ... Use/Activity AG R GC DT LI Hatcheries and poultry houses P — —— —
Full Breakdown
12. Under the 'Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting' portion of that matrix, 'Livestock pens or hog houses' and 'Hatcheries and poultry houses' both carry a 'P' (permitted use) only in the AG column; the R, GC, DT and LI columns are marked with a dash, the matrix's symbol for a prohibited use. That means a resident in the Residential district cannot keep hogs, poultry houses or livestock pens as a matter of right, and the same prohibition carries into the GC, DT and LI districts.
7 or lying in the extraterritorial area, may host these uses outright. 2, not a variance from the Board of Adjustment, since this is a use restriction rather than a dimensional one. 5, and can refuse a permit that would put a prohibited use like a hog house on an R-zoned lot.
Violations & Fines
Violating the use table is a misdemeanor under § 9.8, punishable by a fine of up to $100 for each offense, and every day the prohibited livestock use continues counts as a separate offense under the same section. The City may also pursue an injunction or other remedy under § 9.9 to force removal of livestock pens, hog houses or poultry houses built on land outside the AG district. The Zoning Administrator can deny or revoke a building permit under § 9.4 and § 9.5 for a structure intended for a prohibited use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep chickens in my backyard in Blue Hill?
What about hogs or other livestock?
What happens if I keep livestock on a residential lot anyway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Blue Hill
How Blue Hill compares: Best Cities for Backyard Chickens·Compare Blue Hill to another location·View the Nebraska animal ordinances overview
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