Columbus, IN Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 6.08.045 of the Columbus Municipal Code prohibits harboring a chicken flock within the city limits unless a keeper holds it or the confinement meets nine criteria and holds no more than four hens. The definitions in Chapter 6.04 describe a chicken flock as one chicken or a group of two or more containing no more than four hens and no roosters, and a chicken as Gallus gallus domesticus, which excludes peacocks, turkeys and waterfowl.

The coop must provide each chicken not less than four square feet of living space, and an attached run must provide each chicken no less than four square feet as well. The coop and attached run together cannot exceed thirty-two square feet. Both must have ground cover that separates the flock from the underlying soil, and confinement must meet the minimum standards in section 6.08.100. The coop and run must sit no less than twenty feet from any adjacent property line, measured from the exterior wall of the enclosure by the shortest distance, and cannot be placed in the front or side yard.

The permission is limited to owner occupied real property, so a tenant cannot rely on it. The owner must also hold a premises identification number from the Indiana State Board of Animal Health and must produce it on request.

Roosters are prohibited unless held by a keeper, and chickens can be sold within the city only by a pet shop. Section 6.08.025 prohibits harboring other farm animals unless the animal is a pet or is held by a keeper, with one exemption: farm animals, chickens included, are exempt on a single property, or adjacent properties in the same ownership, that exceed 35 acres and lie entirely in an agricultural zoning district.