Granville County, NC Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)
Key Facts
- Qualifying uses
- Livestock, cattle, horses, poultry and bees
- Proof required
- Farm tax exemption, PUV listing, Schedule F, or forest plan
- Zoning table
- Table 03.110A marks bona fide farms 'Y' everywhere
- Districts covered
- All nine districts, AR-80 through O/I
- Parking/loading
- Listed as not applicable ('na.')
Summary
Raising or breeding poultry, livestock, cattle, horses and bees counts as a bona fide farm use under Code § 32-1302(a), and Table 03.110A permits bona fide farms by right, marked 'Y', in all nine of the county's zoning districts, from AR-80 down to the industrial and office/institutional districts, with no acreage minimum written into the use table itself.
Land Use AR-80 AR-40 R-25 MHPD HB NB I-1 I-2 O/I Parking Loading Other ... Bona Fide Farms Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y na. na. ... (a)(1)Bona fide farm purposes (NAICS 111, 112, part and 11142). Bona fide farm uses include crop production and animal production, and agritourism defined by G.S. 160D-903. ... (2)These uses also include:a.Orchards, aquaculture and truck farming.b.The raising or breeding of livestock, cattle, horses, poultry and bees.
Full Breakdown
Section 32-1302(a) of the Land Development Code defines bona fide farm purposes to include crop production, animal production and agritourism under G.S. 160D-903, and it specifically lists the raising or breeding of livestock, cattle, horses, poultry and bees among the uses that qualify. To be classified as a bona fide farm, the property owner needs to show at least one of four kinds of proof: a farm sales tax exemption certificate from the department of revenue, a property tax listing showing eligibility for the present-use-value program under G.S.
105-277.3, a Schedule F from the owner's or operator's federal income tax return, or a forest management plan. Once that classification applies, Table 03.110A, referenced in section 32-142, marks 'Bona Fide Farms' with a 'Y' in every one of the nine zoning districts, AR-80, AR-40, R-25, MHPD, HB, NB, I-1, I-2 and O/I, meaning the use is permitted as a matter of right subject to performance standards, with parking and loading both listed as 'na.' The same table treats boarding stables and farmsteads differently, permitting boarding stables only in AR-80, AR-40, R-25 and MHPD, so a resident keeping chickens or cattle under the bona fide farm classification is on far more permissive footing than someone running a commercial stable.
Because bona fide farms sit outside much of the county's regular zoning permit process, chicken coops and livestock pens tied to a qualifying farm operation avoid the site-plan review other uses face.
Violations & Fines
A use that cannot produce one of the four proofs of bona fide farm status in section 32-1302(a)(1) is not automatically exempt and instead has to be reviewed under whatever use category it actually fits, which can trigger the zoning permit process of section 32-1133. General Code § 1-6 civil penalties, escalating to a misdemeanor with up to a $500.00 fine for willfully refusing to pay, apply to any resulting violation of the Land Development Code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep backyard chickens anywhere in unincorporated Granville County?
How does the county decide if my animals qualify as a bona fide farm?
Are cattle, horses and bees treated the same as chickens?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Granville County
How Granville County compares: Best Cities for Backyard Chickens·Compare Granville County to another location·View the North Carolina animal ordinances overview
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