Novi, MI Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 5-12 of the Novi City Code governs "the keeping of animals as accessory use" for any animal other than a household pet, chickens and other backyard fowl included. The animal must be housed in an accessory structure that meets the zoning ordinance's building requirements, but the section overrides the zoning ordinance on siting: the structure cannot sit in the front yard, must be at least one hundred feet from any adjoining dwelling, and must be at least twenty-five feet from the dwelling of the animal's own owner.

The enclosure has to be a covered structure, or the animal must otherwise be confined within a fenced area, and that fenced area must be set back a minimum of fifteen feet from the property line; a fence built directly on the property line does not satisfy the setback. Construction materials must be easily cleaned, the enclosure must be ventilated to control odor and drafts, sized for the animal, and built to keep out rats, mice, and other rodents. Owners must remove and sanitarily dispose of droppings, and Section 5-12 folds in Chapter 5's noise, odor, and sanitation rules.

Critically for backyard flocks, "all animals, except livestock and household pets, shall be female," meaning hens are permitted but "no roosters are permitted on any property," and no slaughtering may occur outside the fenced enclosure and an enclosed building. Because Chapter 5's general penalty in Section 5-3 applies "unless another penalty is specified," a Section 5-12 violation carries that chapter-wide civil-infraction schedule.