Lima bans farm animals and fowl, including backyard chickens, unless you own at least two acres of land where they are kept. Most city lots are far below that, so chickens are effectively prohibited.
Lima Codified Ordinance 618.04 (Certain Animals Prohibited) sets a two-acre land minimum for keeping any farm animals or fowl inside the city. Because typical Lima residential lots are a fraction of an acre, hens, roosters, ducks, and other poultry are not permitted on ordinary properties. The keeping must also not violate 618.09, which bars any animal kept so as to create noxious or offensive odors or unsanitary conditions that menace public health, comfort, or safety. There is no separate permit that waives the acreage floor; the acreage requirement is the controlling threshold for backyard poultry and livestock in Lima.
Keeping fowl or livestock without the two-acre minimum is a code violation abatable by Code Enforcement; running-at-large fowl are a minor misdemeanor with owner liability for damages under 618.99.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Lima's chickens & livestock rules stack up against other locations.
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