Greensboro, NC Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

3 splits animal keeping into livestock and poultry/bees. Horses and cows require a minimum 20,000-square-foot lot and are capped at one animal over six months old per 10,000 square feet of fenced area; sheep and goats need a 10,000-square-foot lot minimum, capped at one per 5,000 square feet. Livestock is a permitted accessory use only in the AG and R-3 zoning districts, subject to Chapter 5 of the City Code, and fencing or shelters for these animals must sit back at least 50 feet from every property line.

Poultry and bees are handled separately as an accessory use to single-family detached homes in the R-3, R-5, R-7, RM-5, RM-8, RM-12, and RM-18 districts. Lots under 7,000 square feet cannot keep poultry or bees at all. No poultry may roam loose off the property, some form of fencing is mandatory, and birds that make noise clearly audible off-site are barred outright. On lots larger than 12,000 square feet, coops and hives must sit back 50 feet from any property line, with poultry capped at one bird per 2,000 square feet (20 animals maximum) and bee colonies capped at one per 1,500 square feet (20 colonies maximum); an alternate standard allows a reduced 25-foot setback in exchange for a lower density cap.

On lots between 7,000 and 12,000 square feet, the setback drops to 25 feet from any property line and 50 feet from a neighboring principal building, with poultry capped at four birds total and bees at six colonies. Swine are excluded from the livestock allowance entirely.