Madison County, IL Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

100(B) and (C) set the backyard poultry and goat standards for unincorporated territory. Only hens qualify as permitted 'chickens': roosters are outright prohibited, and free-ranging is banned, meaning every bird must stay inside an enclosed coop and run. Every property keeping chickens needs both a coop and a run: the coop must sit in the rear yard at least 20 feet from the nearest property line and hold every bird kept on the lot, and the run must also be in the rear yard, fenced to prevent escape, sized to give each chicken 16 square feet of permeable ground, and likewise kept 20 feet off the property line.

Feed has to sit in a sealed, predator-proof and rodent-proof container, waste must be cleared often enough to avoid odor and pests, and noise loud enough to disturb neighbors is barred. Any slaughtering allowed under the section must happen inside an enclosed structure, out of public view, and owners must register their birds with the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Livestock Premises Registration and keep proof on-site. 100(C) requires a special use permit in Residential Zoning Districts before keeping any goat, and a permit caps the herd at two does or wethers, with no intact male over six weeks old allowed at all.

Each goat needs at least 130 square feet of permeable land plus adequate shelter, and the yard must be fenced to keep goats from escaping. In the 'A' Agricultural District, up to two goats are a permitted accessory use on a two-to-five-acre residential tract without the special use permit.