Backyard chickens and livestock are allowed in unincorporated Mobile County; no county zoning bans them. But Alabama abolished open range: Ala. Code §3-5-2 bars letting any animal run at large and makes the owner liable.
Mobile County cannot zone, so it does not prohibit hens, goats, hogs, or cattle on unincorporated land; keeping poultry and livestock is a normal rural and coastal use. Alabama law does impose a hard duty. Under Ala. Code §3-5-2 there are no open-range counties, and it is unlawful for an owner to knowingly, negligently, or wilfully let livestock run at large onto another's property or onto public roads. A companion section, §3-5-3, makes the owner liable for damage the loose animal causes and gives the injured party a lien on the animal. Fencing and containment are the owner's responsibility. A crowing rooster or hog odor can still be pursued as a private nuisance.
Letting livestock run at large violates §3-5-2 and exposes the owner to liability under §3-5-3 for crop, vehicle, and property damage, plus a lien on the animal. A persistent rooster or hog nuisance can be abated in civil court.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Mobile County's chickens & livestock rules stack up against other locations.
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