Lexington County, SC Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Two different parts of the county code reach chickens and livestock. Code of Ordinances Section 10-95(a), in the Animal Control chapter's Livestock and Poultry division, makes it unlawful for any owner, custodian, or person to willfully or negligently permit livestock or poultry to run estray, meaning loose and unconfined; a violation is a misdemeanor prosecuted in magistrate's court. Section 10-95(b) lets an animal control officer pursue estray livestock or poultry onto private property to recover it. The surrounding sections build out the enforcement chain: Section 10-96 separately makes neglecting livestock or poultry a misdemeanor; Section 10-97 requires the county to hold impounded livestock or poultry at the county impound facility unless that's impractical for safety or medical reasons; Section 10-98 lets an owner redeem impounded animals on payment of a redemption fee set by the animal services director based on the type of animal, length of impoundment, and care provided, though Animal Services can ask a court to order surrender if continued impoundment serves the animal's welfare or public safety; and Section 10-99 makes an impounded animal unclaimed after five business days the property of Lexington County Animal Services, to be adopted out, transferred to a rescue, or euthanized.

10(e) caps residential lots at four domestic chickens or fowl at a time, bans roosters outright, and requires the birds stay in a rear yard inside a fenced pen or coop, never free-roaming or under the house. Livestock such as cows, horses, goats, swine, alpacas, and sheep are prohibited on these residential lots entirely, except for pedigreed miniature livestock registered with a service such as the Miniature Potbellied Pig Registry. Slaughtering chickens, fowl, or livestock on these lots is also prohibited, and any commercial use of the birds must meet the county's separate Agricultural Operations standards.