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

Santa Barbara County's Land Use & Development Code (Chapter 35), Section 35.42.060 (Animal Keeping), governs poultry in unincorporated areas. Chickens, ducks, birds, and other fowl fall under "small non-hoofed animals, including bees, birds, fowl and poultry, rabbits," which the animal-keeping tables list as an exempt (no-permit) use with no stated maximum number in agricultural and residential zones, provided the keeping is limited to reasonable family use on a non-commercial basis. Subsection F sets the standards: enclosures for such animals must be located no closer than 25 feet to any dwelling located on another lot, and the keeping must not be injurious to neighborhood health, safety, or welfare or create offensive noise or odor as determined by the Director after advice from the Public Health Department. Roosters and peacocks are the key restriction — under Subsection F, no rooster or peacock may be kept or raised in a residential zone except on a lot of one acre (gross) or more where all adjoining lots are of equivalent size or larger. A separate Chapter 7 rooster ordinance (Section 7-67) caps rooster numbers by parcel size. These standards apply to unincorporated areas; incorporated cities set their own rules.