Kenton County, KY Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Kenton County Code of Ordinances § 90.14(C) makes it unlawful for anyone to keep any animal, livestock included, without providing adequate food, water, shelter, or medical attention. Chapter 90's definitions section, § 90.01, spells out what counts as shelter for livestock specifically: it can be a natural windbreak from tree lines or natural shade under trees, or a constructed shelter such as a barn, a three-sided shelter, a lean-to, or a windscreen, and any constructed shelter must be free of hazards likely to injure the animal. That standard is looser than the multi-point structural checklist the same section imposes on shelters for dogs and cats, which must have a raised floor, ventilation, and weatherproofing.

Separately, § 90.15(A) bars letting any owned or harbored animal, including livestock, run at large in the unincorporated county. When livestock get loose, Animal Control or the police must make reasonable efforts to notify the owner before capture and impoundment whenever that is feasible. Under the penalty table at § 90.99(A)(7), an owner cited for livestock running at large must reimburse the county for every reasonable fee incurred capturing, impounding, boarding, and treating the animal, on top of the standard fine of $25 to $100 for a first offense and $50 to $250 for a second or later offense.

This chapter sets no maximum head count, minimum lot size, required setback, or permit process for keeping backyard chickens or other livestock; the file has no operative zoning-district standard for animal keeping. Kenton County zoning is administered separately by the county's planning agency, so anyone in the unincorporated area planning a coop or pasture needs to check that zoning ordinance and any applicable health regulations in addition to Chapter 90's shelter and at-large duties.