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

Whether you can keep backyard chickens in the unincorporated county depends on your zoning district and lot size, set by Santa Cruz County Code Chapter 13.10 (Zoning Regulations) and summarized by the County Animal Shelter. According to the Animal Shelter's local-animal-laws page, in single-family residential zones small animals (fowl, rabbits, rodents and similar 'family animals') are permitted on lots of 6,000 to 15,000 square feet at a density of about one animal per 1,000 square feet of lot area, with enclosures and parcel-size standards applying. Multiple-residential zones also allow small animals but generally do not permit larger farm animals. Rural-residential and agricultural-residential zones allow more animals and farm animals, subject to acreage standards and, in some cases, a discretionary permit. The County does not publish a single fixed backyard-hen number that applies countywide; the allowed count scales with lot size and zone. Because the operative limits and setbacks live in the zoning code rather than the animal-control title, a resident planning to keep hens should confirm the parcel's zoning and the 13.10 animal-keeping standards with County Planning before acquiring birds. Roosters and noise are separately constrained by the County's noisy-animal rule (Code 6.12.090), which prohibits keeping any animal whose habitual noise unreasonably disturbs others. These standards apply to the unincorporated county; cities such as Santa Cruz and Watsonville have their own poultry rules.