Elk Grove, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)
Key Facts
- Chickens without buffer
- Up to 6, 5-ft coop setback
- Chickens with 40-ft buffer
- Up to 12, may roam
- Roosters
- Prohibited in all RD zones
- Livestock density
- 2 animals per half-acre
- Livestock setback
- 40 ft from line, 75 ft from home
- Enforcing agency
- Community Development Dept.
Summary
Elk Grove allows up to six chickens by right on residential lots, or twelve with a 40-foot buffer from neighboring property, but bans roosters outright. Livestock is capped at two animals per half-acre and must sit 40 feet from any property line and 75 feet from a neighbor's house.
a. Fowl, limited to chickens only, may only be kept on residential property when consistent with the following: i. Residents may have up to six (6) chickens in all RD zone districts, as long as the chickens are confined within a clean coop or cage. Such structures must be kept a minimum of five (5' 0") feet from interior side and rear property lines. ii. Notwithstanding the above, residents may have up to twelve (12) chickens if a minimum forty (40' 0") foot buffer is maintained between the area for the chickens and any neighboring property line. Chickens may roam the property as long as the forty (40' 0") foot buffer is maintained through use of a fence, wall, or other barrier. iii. Roosters are not permitted in RD zone districts. ... c. Livestock. Two (2) livestock animals may be permitted for each half (1/2) acre of land. All livestock shall be kept and maintained a minimum distance of forty (40' 0") feet from any property line and a minimum distance of seventy-five (75' 0") feet from any residential dwelling on a neighboring parcel.
Full Breakdown
27-1 of the Elk Grove Municipal Code (Allowed Uses and Required Entitlements for Base Zoning Districts) permits "Animal Keeping - Fowl" and "Animal Keeping - Livestock" by right in every RD residential district, subject to Note 3 of the residential-district footnotes. Fowl is limited to chickens: a household may keep up to six chickens confined in a coop or cage set back at least five feet from interior side and rear property lines. A resident may instead keep up to twelve chickens if the birds are contained within a 40-foot buffer from any neighboring property line, maintained by a fence, wall, or other barrier, in which case the chickens may roam freely within that buffer.
Roosters are prohibited in every RD zone district, full stop, regardless of the six- or twelve-bird option chosen. 050(A)(9)(d) as swine, sheep, goats, horses, cattle, equine, or bovine animals, is capped at two animals per half-acre of lot area. Every livestock animal must be kept at least 40 feet from any property line and at least 75 feet from a residential dwelling on a neighboring parcel. In the AG-80 and AG-20 agricultural districts, animal keeping of fowl and livestock is unrestricted by these residential caps and is permitted outright on the larger agricultural parcels. 050.
Violations & Fines
Keeping more chickens than the six-bird or twelve-bird-with-buffer allowance, keeping a rooster in an RD district, or exceeding the two-livestock-per-half-acre density or required setbacks is a zoning code violation enforced by the Community Development Department through the City's code enforcement process, which can require animals be removed or relocated to bring the property into compliance. A property owner exceeding the household-pet kennel threshold (five or more dogs, cats, pot-bellied pigs, or pygmy goats) is separately subject to EGMC Section 8.02.050's kennel restrictions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many chickens can I keep in Elk Grove without a permit?
Can I keep more than six chickens in Elk Grove?
Are roosters allowed in Elk Grove?
How much land do I need to keep livestock in Elk Grove?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Elk Grove
How Elk Grove compares: Best Cities for Backyard Chickens·California rules heatmap·Compare Elk Grove to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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