Oak Park, IL Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 5-4-10 draws a hard line against farm livestock within Village limits: it is unlawful to keep any pigs, swine, sheep, cattle, horses, goats or similar animals anywhere in Oak Park, with exceptions only for zoological parks, performing animal exhibitions, educational institutions, veterinary hospitals and animal shelters. There is no residential carve-out and no permit path for a backyard hog or goat; the ban applies Village-wide regardless of lot size. Poultry and small caged animals are treated differently, as a household cap rather than an outright ban.

Section 5-4-11(A) limits any household to no more than one pigeon, or more than two of the following: rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils, or fowl of any kind. That means backyard chickens, ducks or other fowl are legal in Oak Park, but capped at two birds per household, sharing that same two-animal allowance with whatever other small animals the household keeps; pet shops and the institutional exceptions in section 5-4-10 are carved out of the cap. The fowl and pigeon limits sit inside the broader household animal cap in section 5-4-11(D), which caps the total number of animals, not counting fish, at ten in a single-family residence and five in a multi-family unit, so a household running the maximum two fowl and one pigeon still has to fit within that overall ceiling alongside any dogs or cats it keeps.