Outagamie County, WI Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitted use
- 'Keeping livestock'. AED/AGD districts
- Livestock includes
- Poultry, per § 54-4
- Coverage
- Town-adopted areas only
- Excludes
- Appleton, Kaukauna, other cities
Summary
Keeping livestock, which the county zoning code defines to include poultry, is a permitted farm use only in Outagamie County's AED and AGD agricultural zoning districts, not a countywide right.
Permitted principal uses and structures within the AED exclusive agricultural district are as follows:
(1)The following agricultural uses, conducted for the purpose of earning an income or livelihood:a.Crop or forage production.b.Keeping livestock.c.Beekeeping.d.Nursery, sod, or Christmas tree production.e.Floriculture.f.Aquaculture.g.Forest management.h.Enrolling land in a federal agricultural commodity payment program or a federal or state agricultural land conservation payment program.i.Any other use that department, by rule, identifies as an agricultural use.(2)Undeveloped natural resources and open spaces areas.(3)Dwellings existing before the effective date of adoption of the ordinance from which this chapter is derived, which are not accessory to or associated with agricultural uses. Until ATCP 49 is in effect, pre-existing nonfarm residences are nonconforming uses.(4)Utility-scale energy system. (Code 1992, § 17.31(2); Ord. No. Z-3-2012-13, 1-8-2013; Ord. No. M-2013-14, 2-25-2014; Ord. No. Z-11-2024-25, 3-11-2025)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26).
Full Breakdown
Section 54-100 lists 'keeping livestock' as a permitted principal agricultural use in the AED exclusive agricultural district, and section 54-128 extends the same permitted-use list to the AGD general agricultural district. The zoning code's own definition of 'livestock' at section 54-4 covers bovine animals, equine animals, goats, poultry, sheep, and swine, so backyard chickens fall under this permitted farm use. That permission only exists where county zoning has been adopted: under Wis. Stat. § 59.69 a town must approve county zoning before it applies there, and it never reaches inside incorporated cities and villages such as Appleton, Kaukauna, or Kimberly, which set their own rules.
Violations & Fines
Keeping livestock or poultry as a principal use outside the AED/AGD ag districts, or in a town that hasn't adopted county zoning at all, falls outside this permitted-use grant and can draw a zoning enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep chickens on ag-zoned land in Outagamie County?
Does this apply to my whole town?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Outagamie County
How Outagamie County compares: Best Cities for Backyard Chickens·Compare Outagamie County to another location·View the Wisconsin animal ordinances overview
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