Kenosha County, WI Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitted use
- Poultry/livestock raising by right in A-1, A-2 districts
- Commercial egg setback
- 500 feet from every property boundary line
- Commercial egg minimum site
- 50 acres
- Household pets
- Definition excludes chickens, cows, goats, sheep, hogs
- Permit body
- Planning, Development & Extension Education Committee
- Applies in
- Unincorporated towns, not City of Kenosha or villages
Summary
Kenosha County's zoning ordinance lets poultry and livestock raising happen by right on farms in the A-1 and A-2 agricultural districts, but chickens, cows, goats, sheep, and hogs are expressly excluded from the definition of household pets, keeping them off-limits in residential districts. Scale up to a commercial egg operation and the county requires a conditional use permit, a 50-acre minimum site, and any building housing chickens set back 500 feet from every property line.
27. Commercial egg production in the A-3 District. For all new and expanding commercial egg production facilities, the following requirements shall be complied with:
a. The site shall contain a minimum of 50 acres.
b. There shall be submitted a detailed site plan showing all building locations and distances and the capacity of each building.
c. There shall be submitted to the Planning, Development & Extension Education Committee for their approval a detailed plan as to how manure is to be handled. This shall include items as drying and storage facilities, hauling methods, location(s) where manure is to be spread and distances to the surrounding residential structures. (11/5/84)
d. There shall be submitted detail of all types of equipment used in handling process of manure.
e. There shall be provided a plan for odor control, such as ozinators, etc.
f. There shall be provided a detailed day-to-day management plan for total operation.
g. There shall be provided a vermin, rat, and insect control plan for all facilities on the premise.
h. All buildings housing chickens shall be located at least 500 feet from any property boundary line.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 37 (2026), passed March 17, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Two zoning tracks govern raising chickens and livestock in unincorporated Kenosha County. 020(b)(22) list "Poultry raising, except commercial egg production and commercial poultry feed lots" and "Livestock raising, except commercial feed lot and fur farms" as permitted principal uses in the A-1 Agricultural Preservation District and A-2 General Agricultural District, so a farm owner can keep chickens, cattle, or other livestock without a conditional use permit. Chickens and livestock are not protected as household pets anywhere else in the county: the Chapter 12 Appendix A definition of "Pets, Household" lists dogs, cats, songbirds and small animals, then states household pets shall not include horses, chickens, cows, goats, sheep, hogs, snakes or other animals not commonly found in residences, which keeps chicken-keeping out of the county's residential districts.
080(b)(27) requires a conditional use permit in the A-3 District with a 50-acre minimum site, detailed manure-handling and odor-control plans filed with the Planning, Development & Extension Education Committee, a vermin and rodent control plan, and any building housing chickens set back at least 500 feet from every property boundary line; dead birds must go to a licensed renderer at least weekly, with proof supplied to the Committee. Commercial feedlots under item 28 carry the same 500-foot and 50-acre standards. None of this reaches the City of Kenosha, the City of Lake Geneva, or the villages, which zone independently of the county.
Violations & Fines
Operating a commercial egg or livestock confinement facility without the required conditional use permit, acreage, setback, and manure-management plan violates Chapter 12; the Planning, Development & Extension Education Committee can deny the permit outright or, once granted, revoke it under Section 12.40.070 for noncompliance. Keeping chickens or other excluded livestock as household pets in a residential district falls outside any permitted or accessory use listed for that district, since the Appendix A definition specifically excludes them from household pets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep backyard chickens in Kenosha County?
How big does an egg operation have to be before it needs a county permit?
Does this outdoor chicken-keeping rule apply inside the City of Kenosha?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kenosha County
How Kenosha County compares: Best Cities for Backyard Chickens·Compare Kenosha County to another location·View the Wisconsin animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.