Lawrence, KS Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 3-108(a)(6) permits birds as pets in the city except for roosters, turkeys, geese, swans, peafowl, guinea fowl, ostriches, emus and species under state or federal protection, so a flock of hens is allowed but a rooster is a prohibited animal under Section 3-107. Traditional farm livestock, goats, kids, sheep, rabbits or hares, horses, cows, mules and donkeys, sit outside Section 3-108's pet list entirely; Section 3-108(b) only lets someone keep them if they were legally owned 150 feet from any building used for human habitation before December 30, 1992, and ownership has stayed with the same person on the same property since.

That grandfather clause does not apply to livestock kept as part of a small or large animal agriculture use permitted under the Land Development Code's urban agriculture standards, which is the current path for anyone starting new livestock keeping in the city rather than relying on the 1992 cutoff. Where goats or sheep are kept, Section 3-108(d) requires male goats over four weeks old to be neutered and requires goats and sheep four months or older to be vaccinated against rabies and leptospirosis, with the owner keeping proof of current vaccination on hand.

Rabbits get a separate, narrower cap under Section 3-108(a)(5): no more than three are allowed in a residentially zoned district unless the keeping qualifies as a small animal agriculture use.