Keeping chickens and other domestic fowl in Prince William County is regulated by the Domestic Fowl Overlay District (Zoning Ordinance Ch. 32, Part 508). Fowl are allowed by 'bird units' scaled to lot size, generally requiring at least one acre.
Domestic fowl are not permitted outside the Domestic Fowl Overlay District, except on A-1 (agricultural) lots of ten acres or larger. Within the overlay, keeping is measured in 'bird units,' where one bird unit equals up to 10 chickens (or the equivalent: 20 pigeons, six ducks, four turkeys, or one ostrich). Lots of 1 to 4.99 acres allow one bird unit per acre; 5 to 9.99 acres allow three bird units per acre; 10-plus acres have no per-acre limit. On agricultural parcels fowl are allowed by right, while semi-rural residential (SRR) parcels require a Special Use Permit. Homeowner associations may separately prohibit poultry. Rules are administered by PWC Zoning Administration (Ch. 32, Part 508).
Keeping fowl outside the overlay district or exceeding the allowed bird units is a zoning violation enforced by PWC Zoning Administration. Violators face notice-of-violation, daily civil penalties, and orders to remove the animals; nuisance noise from roosters is separately actionable
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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