Farmington Hills, MI Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Farmington Hills is an Oakland County suburb of approximately 83,000 residents with a fully developed land-use pattern dominated by standard residential subdivisions. Unlike Detroit (which permits up to 8 hens by zoning amendment) or Ann Arbor (which permits up to 6 hens by permit), Farmington Hills has NOT adopted a permissive urban-chicken ordinance. Animal keeping is governed by two layers: (1) Chapter 6 (Animals) of the Farmington Hills Code of Ordinances, which contains Article I (In General), Article II (Dogs and Cats), and Article III (Dangerous Animals); and (2) Chapter 34 (Zoning), which determines whether and where keeping of fowl, poultry, and livestock is a permitted accessory use. The Zoning Ordinance restricts the keeping of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, peafowl, and farm livestock (horses, cattle, sheep, goats, swine) to limited large-lot residential districts and any remaining agriculturally-zoned parcels - generally lots of one acre or larger in the city's lowest-density zones. The often-cited '175 feet from your own dwelling / 30 feet from neighboring homes / 5 feet from property lines' setbacks reflect the historic Chapter 34 standard for accessory animal structures (coops, stables, pens) where animal keeping is otherwise permitted; on a typical 1/4-acre or 1/3-acre Farmington Hills subdivision lot it is physically impossible to satisfy a 175-foot interior-distance plus 30-foot neighbor setback, which is the practical mechanism by which the Zoning Ordinance precludes chicken keeping in most residential neighborhoods. Sale of eggs, meat, or other animal products from a residential parcel is also restricted under Chapter 34 (home-occupation and accessory-use limits). HOAs and subdivision deed restrictions further restrict animal keeping in many Farmington Hills neighborhoods independently of the City Code. Field enforcement of the Code is by Farmington Hills Police Department / Public Safety (248-871-2610) for nuisance and at-large complaints; Oakland County Animal Control (248-858-1070) handles welfare, bite, and impoundment matters under the interlocal arrangement under which Oakland County provides animal control services to Farmington Hills and other Oakland County municipalities. The Farmington Hills Planning Department (248-871-2500) administers Chapter 34 zoning interpretations regarding what animal-keeping uses are permitted on a specific parcel. Residents considering chickens should request a written zoning determination before acquiring birds. Michigan state law also applies: the Animal Industry Act (MCL 287.701 et seq.) and the Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program require registration and movement controls for cattle, and MCL 287.731 et seq. governs livestock disease at the state level. Penalties for violation of Chapter 6 or Chapter 34 are set by Chapter 1, Sec. 1-15 of the Code of Ordinances (general penalty) and include municipal civil infractions and misdemeanors with fines up to $500 and/or up to 90 days in jail.