Bowling Green Code of Ordinances Section 5-1.07 (Poultry Restrictions) allows a maximum of five (5) non-crowing poultry per property. Roosters and crowing poultry or peafowl are prohibited inside the city limits. Hens must be confined on the owner's premises by a fence or structure in good repair, with secured gates. No city permit is required for five or fewer hens, but a Multiple Animal Permit (5-1.06) is required for any property keeping more than six total animals.
Bowling Green Code of Ordinances Chapter V (Animals), Section 5-1.07 'Poultry Restrictions' caps backyard poultry at five (5) non-crowing hens per property and expressly prohibits roosters, crowing poultry, and peafowl anywhere inside the corporate city limits. The ordinance also states it is unlawful for the owner or person in control of poultry to allow such poultry to run at large or leave the premises of the owner. 'Confinement' is defined as the poultry being kept on the owner's premises and contained by a fence in good repair or a structure of sufficient height and construction to prevent the poultry from leaving the property; all gates or doors must fit properly and be locked or secured by a latch. No city permit, application fee, or coop setback is specified in 5-1.07, but coops still must comply with the general animal-keeping sanitation provisions of Chapter V and with City zoning. Effective in July 2025, Ordinance 2024-18 added Section 5-1.06 'Multiple Animal Permit,' which requires any for-profit business that boards, breeds, grooms, or keeps more than six (6) animals at a single location to obtain a (free) Multiple Animal Permit from the Code Compliance and Animal Protection Division. Larger livestock (cattle, horses, sheep, goats, swine) is not authorized in residential zoning districts inside the city; agricultural use generally requires unincorporated Warren County zoning. Animal Protection contact: 270-393-3102 / animalprotection@bgky.org.
Keeping more than 5 non-crowing hens, keeping any rooster or crowing poultry, or allowing poultry to run at large is a violation of Section 5-1.07 and is enforced by the City of Bowling Green Code Compliance and Animal Protection Division. The City's Code Enforcement and Nuisance Board may impose civil penalties under Chapter 2-21 and order abatement. Operating a for-profit animal business with more than six (6) animals without a Multiple Animal Permit is a violation of Section 5-1.06 (Ordinance 2024-18).
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