York County, SC Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

655 authorizes chickens and honeybee colonies as an accessory use to a single-family detached dwelling in nine zoning districts: AGC, AGC-I, RUD, RUD-I, RSF-40, RSF-30, RMX-20, RMX-10 and MU. That accessory allowance sits alongside the county's separate poultry and livestock use permitted through the zoning code's Use Table for larger agricultural operations. 656, a lot may keep up to six chickens, and roosters, defined in the code as "a male chicken of at least one year of age," are unlawful everywhere in the county except inside the Lake Wylie Overlay, where that restriction does not apply.

657's standards: a covered, predator-proof coop or cage with at least two square feet of floor space per bird, sufficient ventilation and drainage, and a fenced outdoor run that keeps birds contained and protected from predators. Coops, cages and outdoor enclosures must be kept sanitary, with waste and excess feed removed regularly to avoid odors or attracting nuisance animals. 658: no coop, cage or enclosure may sit in a front yard, and every enclosure must be set back at least 30 feet from a rear or side lot line, keeping birds away from neighboring homes.

659 adds one flat prohibition that applies regardless of district or setback compliance: it is unlawful to slaughter or process a chicken outdoors anywhere on the property. The same subpart separately regulates up to three honeybee colonies per lot, each limited to one queen and her workers and drones, with its own water-supply requirement to keep bees from congregating at neighbors' pools; that beekeeping half of the ordinance is covered on this site's separate beekeeping page.