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

Kyle's backyard chicken rules sit in article V of chapter 5, alongside its broader livestock and fowl article. Section 5-163(a) limits a residence to no more than six hens, two other fowl, and two rabbits at any one time, counted together rather than as separate caps per species group. Subsection (b) requires that all hens, other fowl, and rabbits have a pen, coop, or hutch built and available to them, and requires the animals to stay on the owner's property behind a fence, on a leash, or on a tether.

Subsection (c) fixes the setback for that structure: it must sit at least 20 feet from a neighboring residence and at least ten feet from the owner's own residence, a dual setback meant to buffer both the applicant's household and adjoining homes from odor and noise. Subsection (d) bans keeping a rooster at a residence outright, regardless of lot size or setback compliance, since Kyle treats crowing roosters as a nuisance the coop rules cannot fix. These residential rules are distinct from § 5-162, which separately bans full-size and miniature livestock from any lot smaller than one acre per head and confines them to land zoned agriculture, and from § 5-166(b), which makes it unlawful for a chicken or other fowl to run at-large on another's property, a roadway, or any public place. Kyle's animal control division enforces both the flock-size and setback limits and the rooster ban through inspection and citation.