Anderson County, SC Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Sec. 7:4, part of Article 7 of Chapter 48 (Zoning), opens by stating 'No livestock with the exception of ponies and horses may be kept in the R-15 and R-20 districts subject to the district regulations and the following conditions. 1 sets the site standard for the R-15 and R-20 exception: the minimum lot area on which ponies or horses may be kept is one and one-half acres, with no more than one head permitted for every two acres of lot area, while the R-A district carries no minimum acreage requirement at all for livestock.

2 adds a setback: any space or shelter provided for ponies or horses cannot sit within 50 feet of a property line in the R-15 or R-20 districts, unless that line abuts a street, railroad, or watercourse that is itself at least 50 feet wide. The county's animal-control chapter separately defines 'livestock' (Sec. 4-1) as horses, mules, asses, cattle, swine, sheep and goats, a list that does not name poultry, and Chapter 48 does not give 'poultry' its own zoning definition, so the zoning code does not spell out a distinct backyard-chicken rule; anyone wanting to keep chickens in a residential district should confirm placement with the zoning administrator before assuming Sec. 7:4's livestock standard applies the same way.