El Paso, TX Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)
Key Facts
- Rooster limit
- 3 roosters maximum per property
- Permit-free threshold
- Fewer than 6 rabbits/fowl as pets
- Coop setback
- 30 feet from neighboring homes/schools
- Reduced setback option
- 20 feet behind alley + 6-ft wall
- Manure removal
- At least twice weekly
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Animal Services (veterinary officer)
- Max penalty
- $2,000 fine per offense
Summary
El Paso lets residents keep chickens and other fowl, but City Code § 7.24.020(B) caps roosters at three per property and requires a Department of Animal Services permit for anyone keeping six or more rabbits or fowl. Coops must sit at least 30 feet from neighboring homes, hotels, churches or schools, and manure has to be cleared twice a week.
B.Rabbits and Fowl.1.Except in a farm-ranch district or zoning district in which a stockyard or stable is permitted or except where kept as household pets in quantities fewer than six, no person shall keep any rabbit or fowl within the city without a permit as herein provided, and where fowl are allowed, no person shall keep more than three roosters.2.No person shall keep any animal within the city in violation of the provisions of the zoning ordinance.3.Application for any permit required in this section shall be made pursuant to Sections 7.04.090 and 7.24.050. In addition to the requirements set forth in Sections 7.04.090 and 7.24.050, the application shall state the location of the premises where such rabbits or fowl are to be kept, the acreage and square footage where such rabbits and fowl are to be kept, the number of such rabbits and fowl, including specifically the number of roosters, and the kind of enclosure within which they are to be kept.
Full Breakdown
24 governs small livestock and fowl. 100. 030(B) sets the coop setback: a fowl or rabbit pen must sit at least thirty feet from any private residence other than the keeper's own, or from a hotel, apartment house, tenement house, hospital, church or school, though that distance can shrink to twenty feet if a public alley and a six-foot solid fence or wall separate the pen from the buildings, and the veterinary officer may waive the distance requirement entirely if public health isn't endangered. 030(D). 070 makes it unlawful to dye or color a chicken, duck or other fowl.
Violations & Fines
Keeping more than three roosters, skipping the required permit, or ignoring the thirty-foot coop setback is a Title 7 violation under § 7.04.080: a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 per offense, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense, and the chapter is independently enforceable by injunction. The veterinary officer can also suspend or revoke a fowl-keeping permit for a violation, subject to appeal to the city manager under §§ 7.24.050(E) and 7.04.100.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many roosters can I keep in El Paso?
Do I need a permit to keep backyard chickens in El Paso?
How far must a chicken coop be from my neighbor's house?
How often do I have to clean out a chicken coop?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Paso
How El Paso compares: Best Cities for Backyard Chickens·Texas rules heatmap·Compare El Paso to another location·View the Texas animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.