Hawthorne, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Hawthorne allows limited backyard fowl under its own Animal Care and Keeping Animals chapter (Chapter 6.24 of the Hawthorne Municipal Code). The code provides that 'no person shall keep any crowing roosters or more than ten domestic fowl or birds, or more than five rabbits on any real property, the use of which is restricted to residential purposes, church purposes or educational purposes.' Roosters are therefore prohibited outright in residential zones, and the hen/fowl cap is ten birds. Separately, the chapter imposes a distance rule: 'no person shall keep any animal, fowl or bird, wild or domestic, other than dogs, cats, canaries or not more than four birds of the Psittacinae family, within thirty-five feet of any habitable dwelling, except by special permit issued by the director of animal services or the director of licensing and code enforcement.' In practice a backyard chicken coop must be set back at least 35 feet from any habitable dwelling unless the keeper obtains a special permit. Zoning and lot-size limits may further restrict where fowl can be kept. The ban on crowing roosters parallels Los Angeles County's own rooster limits (County Code Chapter 10.38) and supports California Penal Code §597b, which makes cockfighting a crime statewide. Keepers should confirm current limits and permit procedures with Hawthorne's Director of Licensing and Code Enforcement, because municipal codes are periodically amended.