Plymouth, MN Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

02 requires anyone keeping chickens in Plymouth to first obtain a Chicken License, issued under the fee schedule in Chapter X of the City Code, unless the chickens are kept by a veterinary hospital or educational institution. The license application must be signed by the property owner and include a site plan and building plan showing the coop, run, and setbacks from all property lines and structures, plus evidence the keeper completed a chicken-keeping course from the University of Minnesota or a comparable institution. Licenses run for a two-year term with no renewal fee, but the City reserves the right to inspect the property and to suspend or revoke the license under the procedures in Section 1005 of the City Code.

Outside the FRD zoning district, no property may house more than six hens and roosters are prohibited outright; FRD properties are not subject to that hen cap or rooster ban. Hens must stay entirely confined to a run, coop, or building unless supervised, and cannot be kept inside a home or an attached or detached garage, except for chicks under six weeks old being brooded. The coop and attached run must sit in the rear yard, set back at least 20 feet from any property line and kept out of drainage or utility easements, wetlands, wetland buffers, or wetland setback areas, and cannot occupy a required front yard on corner or equivalent-yard lots.

Only one coop and run is allowed per property, capped at ten feet in height and 120 square feet of combined coop and covered run area, and it must be cleaned weekly with feed stored in rodent-proof containers. Selling eggs from the property requires a separate home occupation license under Section 21145.