Olmsted County, MN Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

51 makes it unlawful to keep or harbor chickens in the R-1, R-2 or RSD districts without a Zoning Certificate from the Zoning Administrator, and the county will not issue a permit covering roosters at all. Applicants must submit a scaled diagram showing the coop and run location and their distance from adjoining structures and property lines. Every coop and run must be screened by a solid fence or landscaped buffer at least four feet high and located at least 25 feet from any residential structure on another property.

Coops are capped at ten square feet per chicken and six feet in total height; attached runs are capped at 20 square feet per chicken and the same six-foot height ceiling, and may be built of wood or woven wire so long as birds can reach the ground. Coops must either sit on a raised foundation with 24 inches of clear space beneath the floor or be built on rodent-resistant concrete. Feed and manure have to be stored in rodent- and raccoon-proof containers or composted, and the county's animal control officer, County Feedlot Technician or Zoning Administrator can inspect a permitted coop at any reasonable time.

2 lets R-A Rural Residential parcels keep livestock and poultry as a noncommercial accessory use without this permit, capped at one animal unit per acre of pasture and up to 50 chickens, with poultry and livestock structures set back at least 50 feet from any property line.