Palm Desert, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 6.28.110 of the Palm Desert Municipal Code is a citywide ban on livestock and fowl in the City of Palm Desert. It makes it unlawful for any person to own, keep or harbor livestock or fowl within the city, and the list is introduced with the words including but not limited to: cattle, sheep, goats, swine, poultry (including chickens, roosters, turkeys, or other fowl), horses and donkeys. Chickens are named in the text, so a backyard flock of hens is covered, and so is a single rooster. Section 6.28.110 prints no permit path, lot-size exception, hen allowance or coop standard.

The ban reaches beyond farm animals. The same section's second sentence states that the keeping of any animal other than a common household pet, such as a dog or cat, is prohibited. Together with the household cap of four animals of any combination in § 6.28.070, the code leaves dogs and cats as the named kept animals on residential premises.

The animal control officer enforces the ban. Under § 6.20.010, the officer has the power to take up, impound and safely keep any animal found running at large, staked, tied, or being herded or pastured in any street, lane, alley, court, square, park or other place belonging to or under the control of the city, or upon any private property, contrary to the provisions of Title 6. Under § 6.28.150, an animal kept in contravention of the title is declared a public nuisance. The city manager or designee, the animal control officer, the county health officer and peace officers can summarily abate it independently of any criminal prosecution, by any means reasonably necessary, including euthanasia of the animal or imposing specific reasonable conditions and restrictions. The city can also start nuisance abatement proceedings under Chapter 8.20.

The ban applies inside the City of Palm Desert only. It does not govern neighboring cities such as Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells or La Quinta, or unincorporated Riverside County communities such as Bermuda Dunes and Thousand Palms.