Caldwell, ID Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Caldwell regulates backyard poultry through its land use code rather than only the police-power animal chapter. Section 10-02-15, 'Land Use Regulations For Animals,' allows a household to keep certain animals as pets in limited numbers, and the city's stated example is that a household could have up to five cats, ten chickens, and one goat as pets. To exceed those numbers, or to keep additional types of animals, the lot or parcel must be a minimum of one-half acre in size and/or the resident must obtain special use permit approval. The code defines 'livestock' as animals kept and housed outside the home or in enclosures such as pens, barns, corrals, or paddocks, and that definition expressly includes chickens, ducks, geese, roosters, and similar fowl alongside cows, horses, sheep, and swine. Separately, section 08-03-17 of the animal control chapter requires that fowl and poultry be kept on the owner's premises within a shed, pen, or other enclosure sufficient to prevent them from trespassing onto neighboring property. Livestock enclosures must meet the setback requirements of the applicable zoning district and the city's fence ordinance. Because keeping more birds or larger animals shifts a property into the livestock category, residents at or below the pet thresholds have the simplest path; those scaling up should confirm lot size, setbacks, and permit needs with Caldwell Planning and Zoning.