Cincinnati, OH Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Chapter 1422, "Urban Agriculture: Horticulture and Animal Keeping," governs livestock and fowl citywide. Section 1422-03(d) allows animal keeping "where permitted," subject to the density and sheltering limits in § 1422-05 and its companion Schedule 1422-05. That schedule sets tiered headcounts by lot size for each species: chickens, ducks, quail, doves and other small birds top out at 6 birds on lots under 10,000 square feet, 12 on lots from 10,000 to 20,000 square feet, and 24 on larger lots, with no more than 1 rooster per 15 hens; keeping more than one rooster requires tethering, and every rooster must sit at least 50 feet from all property lines.

Shelter structures need a minimum of 4 square feet per adult bird and must sit back at least 10 feet from every property line. Rabbits follow the identical headcount tiers and setback. Larger animals face tighter limits: dehorned goats and sheep are capped at 2 to 8 depending on lot size with a 50-foot shelter setback, while swine, horses, cattle, alpacas, llamas and large birds like ostriches each require a full 20,000 square feet of lot area per adult animal, a maximum of 2 animals, and a 50-foot setback.

Section 1422-05(b)(2) requires every animal shelter to provide protection from weather and predators, thorough ventilation, easy access for cleaning, and a predator-proof outdoor enclosure for fowl, rabbits and other small animals. Keeping more than two categories or species at once requires cumulative land area covering each species' requirement, and exceeding the maximum number of categories needs Conditional Use approval from the Zoning Hearing Examiner. 1 of the Housing Code separately bars keeping poultry or livestock inside a dwelling itself; any animals on the same lot as a dwelling must still meet the zoning code's Animal Keeping standards.