Keller, TX Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Keller's Code of Ordinances (Chapter 14, Animals, combined with the Unified Development Code) permits residents to keep a limited number of hens on single-family residential lots, with enclosure and setback requirements typically measured from the coop to the nearest neighboring dwelling. Common thresholds used in North Texas suburbs and reflected in Keller's framework include a minimum distance of roughly 25 to 50 feet from any neighboring residence to a coop or run, a covered and predator-secure enclosure, and a ban on roosters in most residential zoning districts due to crowing noise. Larger livestock such as cattle, horses, sheep, goats, and pigs are generally prohibited on standard residential lots; Keller does retain agricultural-zoned tracts and larger estate properties (1-acre-plus) where livestock may be kept under the applicable zoning approval and stocking density rules. Texas HB 1750 (effective 2023) classifies backyard chickens as agricultural operations and raises the bar for cities to ban or tightly restrict them, requiring proof of an imminent health or safety danger; Keller has adapted enforcement accordingly, focusing on sanitation, setbacks, and predator-secure enclosures rather than outright bans. HOA covenants in many Keller master-planned subdivisions (Hidden Lakes, Marshall Ridge) prohibit chickens outright and are enforceable as private contract law separate from the city rule.