Calvert County, MD Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Chapter 7 defines two categories of birds and livestock. AGRICULTURAL LIVESTOCK covers cattle, sheep, swine, poultry, goats, bison, llamas and alpacas kept and raised for meat, hides, wool, milk or eggs on land assessed for agricultural use by the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. DOMESTICATED LIVESTOCK covers the same species, including poultry, kept on property that is not agricultural or kept as a companion animal rather than for production value. Either way, Calvert County Code § 7-7-202 sets the minimum shelter a keeper must provide: four sides and a roof, built of solid wood, fiberglass or other weather-resistant material (metal is excluded), with no cracks or openings besides the entrance, non-absorbent bedding such as wood chips or straw, and enough room for every animal sharing it to stand up, turn around and retain body heat.

Roosters get an added protection under § 7-6-106: an individual may not confine or tether a rooster in a manner that unreasonably restricts its ability to stand, turn around or engage in natural behaviors, including tethering devices, confinement boxes or enclosures that impair normal movement, though brief confinement for veterinary treatment, transport or handling is allowed. Animal Services, under the Deputy Director of Animal Services and Animal Control Officers, enforces both sections; a Part 7 violation, which covers the shelter and confinement rules, is a Class B misdemeanor.

The county's Zoning Ordinance, a separate document from this code, governs where livestock and poultry may be kept and in what numbers on a given lot; nothing in Chapter 7 itself caps flock or herd size.