Oxnard, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 5-30(A) of the Oxnard Code of Ordinances limits residential and commercial properties to no more than 25 rabbits and poultry combined, exempting only registered homing pigeons from the count. That 25-animal cap directly governs backyard chicken flocks, since chickens fall under the ordinance's "poultry" category. Subsection (B) raises the ceiling to 200 rabbits or poultry in manufacturing zones, but only "by special use permit," so even industrial-zoned properties cannot exceed 25 birds without going through discretionary city approval. For four-legged livestock, Section 5-27 sets a separate, stricter framework: no horse, mule, jack, jenny, cow, bull, heifer, sheep, or goat may be kept on a lot smaller than 10,000 square feet, and any corral or barn housing them must sit at least 75 feet from any dwelling or be located outside a zone that precludes these animals altogether.

Section 5-29 layers on a numeric cap of its own, requiring a special use permit before keeping more than one of the Section 5-27 animals on a single property, meaning a single backyard horse is allowed by right on a qualifying lot but a second one is not. Swine, hogs, and pigs are separately and completely banned citywide under Section 5-26, with no residential exception at all. Livestock owners also cannot let animals run at large under Section 5-34, a distinct offense from the housing and density limits.