Pontiac, MI Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Zoning Ordinance Section 4.206, Keeping of Household Animals or Pets, splits animal keeping into three categories. Subsection A(2) prohibits livestock entirely, defining it to include cattle, sheep, camelids, llamas, goats, bison, cervids, ratites, swine, equids, aquaculture species and rabbits, while specifying that common household pets and poultry are not considered livestock. Subsection A(3), Poultry, permits only egg-laying hens, capped at three at any one time, and bans roosters or any other fowl or poultry outright, along with on-site slaughtering of chickens. Chickens must be kept in a fully enclosed structure or fenced enclosure built of permanent materials, following the fence standards in Section 2.304(F), with wire mesh openings no larger than one-quarter inch if fenced, and the enclosure cannot sit in any front or side yard.

Item (g) requires a zoning or building permit before keeping chickens, with an initial coop inspection scheduled at least 30 days after permit issuance, a 90-day follow-up inspection for general code compliance, and annual renewal, since all chicken permits expire December 31 of the current year. Feed must be secured in sealed containers, with ground feeding prohibited, and chickens must be kept per the Michigan Department of Agriculture's Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices for egg-laying chickens. Subsection B allows a neighbor to file a written nuisance complaint with the City, triggering a Zoning Board of Appeals hearing that can order the animals removed by a set date, or can issue a yearly renewable keeping permit with restrictions if the Board believes the nuisance can be resolved.