Oregon, OH Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

10 of the Oregon Codified Ordinances lets a resident keep chickens, rabbits, or similar animals on a single-family lot with a principal structure, but not on vacant or uninhabited land, and only after obtaining a certificate of zoning compliance that specifically identifies the use. The density cap is strict: no more than six animals total, in any combination of chickens and rabbits, per single-family dwelling. Coops or cages must sit at least twenty-five feet from the door or window of any dwelling other than the owner's, at least five feet from a side-yard lot line, at least eighteen inches from a rear-yard lot line, and never in the front yard.

The enclosure itself must be a covered, predator-proof, well-ventilated coop with at least one square foot per hen and only one sheltering structure per property, with outdoor access fenced to contain the animals. 10(i) bans roosters, ducks, geese, peafowl, guineafowl, pigeons and turkeys on any district lot outright, and subsection (k) bars keeping any predatory bird. Larger hoofed animals such as goats, horses, cows, sheep, swine, llamas and alpacas need a Special Use Permit under Chapter 1113 instead of the farm-animal certificate. The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department reviews the annual permit and can revoke it for substantiated complaints or unsanitary conditions, and the keeping is limited to personal or household use, with commercial use prohibited outright. Violations are a fourth-degree misdemeanor, with each day of continued violation charged separately.