Norfolk bans livestock and all poultry except chickens, and even hens need a permit from the Department of Public Health. A permitted lot may keep up to six hens, no roosters, on at least 5,000 square feet.
Under Norfolk City Code Section 6.1-7 (Ordinance 45,764, 2014), no person may keep livestock or any poultry other than chickens in the city, and no chicken may be kept without a permit from the Department of Public Health. A permitted property must be at least 5,000 square feet and cannot be a two-family, multifamily, manufactured home, or licensed daycare. Up to six hens are allowed; roosters and capons are prohibited. Chickens must stay at least 15 feet from any property line and occupied building, live in a predator-proof coop, and be kept out of view from public streets. Selling eggs or meat from a residential property is barred.
Keeping chickens without a Department of Public Health permit, keeping a rooster, or exceeding six hens violates Section 6.1-7 and can bring fines, permit revocation, and removal of the birds.
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