McLean County, IL Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

McLean County's zoning code allows hen keeping as an accessory residential use under § 350-43GGG, but ties it to lot size and district. Section 350-43GGG(2) restricts the use to lots of at least one-quarter acre (10,890 square feet) in single ownership, located in a single-family residential district, that already contain a detached single-family dwelling. Section 350-43GGG(3) then sets a sliding scale: a quarter-acre lot may keep up to four hens, a half-acre lot up to six, three-quarters of an acre up to eight, a full acre up to ten, and any lot over an acre up to twenty hens; a zoning lot made of multiple platted lots still counts as one lot for this math, and roosters are prohibited outright.

Section 350-43GGG(4) limits the birds to personal or household use by a resident of the dwelling, requires the owner to keep chickens confined to the property, and mandates a structure to shelter them. Housing rules at § 350-43GGG(5) require hens to be confined to a coop or a coop-with-run, and bar that structure from a front yard, allowing it only in a rear or side yard. The R-1 district's own setback table backs this up: § 350-36F(1)(b) sets a minimum 30-foot exterior setback for any structure sheltering hen chickens, separate from the standard 30-foot setback for other structures.