Howard County, MD Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Howard County's general code does not set numeric limits on how many chickens, ducks, or other livestock a resident may keep; that kind of use-and-density regulation sits in the separate Howard County Zoning Regulations, not the general County Code. 110(a)(2) lists 'unclean facilities for domestic animals and poultry' as one of the conditions that makes a property a nuisance, alongside contaminated wells, overflowing sewage, and vermin infestation. 110(b) and (c), the Health Officer or Board of Health investigates once at least two people complain about a suspected nuisance, or can open an investigation without a complaint at all, and can then issue a written notice ordering the owner to correct the unclean condition within a specified time, with a right to appeal the decision to the Board of Health within 15 days.

111, the Howard County Right-to-Farm Act, adds a separate layer of protection: in the Rural Conservation and Rural Residential zoning districts, and on property with an agricultural use assessment, an established agricultural operation, defined to include animal and poultry husbandry, cannot legally be treated as a public or private nuisance so long as it existed before a neighboring land-use change, or has run for at least a year without complaint, and is conducted using generally accepted agricultural management practices. 111(g).