Jackson, TN Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Jackson Municipal Code § 10-211 sets the standards for keeping backyard poultry within the city. Single-family properties with privately owned yards may keep up to six domesticated chickens, but multi-family residences with shared outdoor or community space, including apartment complexes and buildings converted from one unit into several, cannot house chickens at all. Only hens are allowed; there is no restriction on breed, but the birds must be kept for personal, non-commercial use, and selling eggs, breeding chickens for profit, running a fertilizer operation, or slaughtering chickens are all prohibited.

Hens must stay inside a fenced enclosure at all times that is either fully covered or at least forty-two inches high, and must be locked inside a separate, predator-resistant henhouse during non-daylight hours. The henhouse needs at least two square feet of space per hen, and the fenced enclosure needs at least six square feet per hen; both must stay ventilated, clean, dry, and odor-free, be enclosed on all sides with a roof and a lockable door, and use predator- and bird-resistant wire with openings smaller than one inch over any windows or vents.

Materials must be uniform across each structural element, such as matching wall material, roofing, and window coverings. Neither the henhouse nor the fenced enclosure can sit closer than one hundred linear feet (100') to any abutting property line, and neither may be placed in a front yard. Owners must store hen feed indoors or in a weather-resistant, animal-proof container and remove uneaten food daily, compost manure only in a well-aerated pile that keeps runoff out of stormwater drains, and bag any other manure with regular household trash while keeping the henhouse and surrounding area free of trash and droppings.