Fayetteville, NC Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)
Key Facts
- Hen limit
- 10 hens or rabbits per lot
- Roosters
- Prohibited in city limits
- Swine
- Prohibited in city limits
- Livestock setback
- 100 feet from dwellings, schools
- Governing code
- Cumberland County Code Chapter 3
Summary
Fayetteville repealed its own animal chapter in 2012 and adopted Cumberland County Code Chapter 3 instead. Inside city limits you can keep ten hens or rabbits per dwelling lot, and roosters are banned.
No roosters, and no more than ten female chickens (hens) or rabbits shall be kept, housed, or penned at a dwelling or on the lot on which such dwelling is located within the corporate limits of any municipality in which this chapter is applied.
Full Breakdown
County Code § 3-75 carries the municipal-only rules. Subsection (a) bans hogs, pigs, swine, and other porcine animals within corporate limits. Subsection (b) keeps horses, mules, ponies, cows, and goats at least 100 feet from any dwelling house, school, church, or eating establishment. Subsection (c) sets the ten-hen, no-rooster cap. Subsection (e) bars tethering or grazing within 30 feet of any wall or 50 feet of the front door of a residence. Coops and pens must meet sanitary standards set by the county board of health or city code enforcement (§§ 3-70, 3-75(h)). Fayetteville UDO § 30-4.D.3.j treats keeping animals and fowl as an accessory horticulture and agriculture use that conforms to county Chapter 3.
Violations & Fines
County Code § 3-81 sets civil penalties of $100 first offense, $200 second, and $300 third within 12 months, plus a Class 3 misdemeanor with a $200 fine and up to 20 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Fayetteville code have no animal chapter?
Do I need a permit for backyard hens?
What if my coop smells?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fayetteville
How Fayetteville compares: Best Cities for Backyard Chickens·Compare Fayetteville to another location·View the North Carolina animal ordinances overview
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