Lake County, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Because the unincorporated county is dominated by agricultural and rural-residential land (cattle, horses, sheep, and wine-country vineyards), chickens and small livestock are a normal and broadly permitted use. The number and type of animals a parcel can keep is driven primarily by the County zoning designation and parcel size, while the animal-welfare and nuisance side is handled under the Lake County Code, Chapter 4 (Animals, Fish and Fowl), and enforced by Animal Care & Control. The County does not publish a flat countywide prohibition on backyard poultry, and many rural parcels keep laying hens, a few goats, or other small stock without a special permit. Practical constraints still apply: animals cannot be kept in a way that creates a public-health nuisance, that lets them run at large onto neighbors' land, or that violates the parcel's zoning district. Roosters and crowing are the most common neighbor complaint and can be pursued as a noise or nuisance matter even where hens themselves are allowed. Anyone keeping bees alongside poultry should note that California requires apiary registration with the County Agricultural Commissioner (Food & Ag Code, Division 13). Confirm parcel-specific allowances with the Lake County Community Development Department for zoning and with Animal Care & Control for animal-care requirements before adding birds or stock, and check the exact fowl and livestock sections in Chapter 4 of the County Code.