Council Bluffs, IA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

CBMC 4.20.280 requires anyone keeping farm animals as defined in CBMC 4.20.020, which covers chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, pygmy goats and larger livestock, to get a permit from the administrative authority before keeping any, issued only after paying a fee and passing a zoning and sanitation inspection; the permit lasts three years and must be renewed. Roosters, peafowl and guinea fowl are never permitted, regardless of permit. CBMC 4.20.285 requires the consent of the property owner and, for an initial application, of adjacent property owners, unless the coop sits more than 150 feet from the nearest adjacent residence.

CBMC 4.20.365 bars keeping farm animals as a principal use unless permitted in that zoning district, and ties minimum lot size to animal class: large farm animals need over two acres, intermediate animals such as miniature horses need over half an acre, while small farm animals like chickens face no separate acreage floor beyond the general permit rules. CBMC 4.20.370 caps quantities by species: chickens at ten, ducks at four, turkeys at two, geese at two, pygmy goats at two, rabbits at ten, and miniature horses at one, with all small and intermediate farm animals combined capped at ten.

CBMC 4.20.360 keeps small farm animal enclosures at least ten feet from any dwelling and requires large or intermediate animals to stay twenty-five feet away, and CBMC 4.20.340 requires manure removal at least once every seven days. Properties over five acres are exempt from the permit requirement entirely, provided animals stay at least 100 feet from any dwelling other than the owner's.