Clinton Township, MI Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

13, adopted by Ordinance 457 in 2019, requires anyone keeping chickens on residential property under five acres to first obtain a Building Department permit, which costs a fee set by Township Board resolution and requires written consent from every owner of adjoining residentially zoned property. The Building Department must act on a permit application within 21 business days; a denial other than for lack of neighbor consent can be appealed to the Township Board within ten days, and a failure to obtain neighbor consent can instead be appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals within 14 days.

Permits run three years and must be renewed at least 30 days before expiration; three or more verified complaints during the permit term bar renewal. Substantively, a permit holder may keep no more than four hens, never a rooster, and may not slaughter chickens or sell eggs. The property's principal use must be a single-family or two-family dwelling. The coop must sit inside a covered enclosure no taller than six feet and no larger than 100 square feet, built to keep out predators and rodents, raised at least 18 inches above grade, and located only in the backyard as the code defines it.

No enclosure may sit closer than ten feet to any property line, and none may sit closer than 60 feet to an occupied residential structure on adjacent property unless the applicant obtains a written no-objection waiver from the affected neighbors. Private deed restrictions, condominium covenants and neighborhood association bylaws override a Township permit and can void it outright. A violation, including keeping a rooster, exceeding four hens, or three verified nuisance complaints, exposes the permit to revocation and the keeper to misdemeanor prosecution.