Redlands, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing table
- Table 18.29.030(c)(1)
- Hens allowed under 4,000 sq ft
- 3 per lot
- Hens allowed 10,000-20,000 sq ft
- 1 per 2,000 sq ft
- Minimum yard for fowl/rabbits
- 10 ft by 20 ft
- Kennel trigger
- 5 or more dogs or cats
- Distance from neighbor's dwelling
- 70 feet
Summary
Redlands allows hens and small livestock as an accessory use to a single-family home under Redlands City Code section 18.29.030, with numbers keyed to lot size. Chickens, rabbits and similar small animals need a minimum ten by twenty foot open yard, and five or more dogs or cats on one lot legally becomes a kennel requiring a conditional use permit.
D. Distance From Human Habitation: All animals, other than cats, dogs, canaries, birds of the species Gallus gallus domesticus, or birds of the psittacine family, shall be maintained at least seventy feet (70'), measured in a straight line, from any structure or area used for human habitation or public assembly (e.g., parks, churches, etc.) on adjoining property and forty feet (40') for structures and area used for human habitat or public assembly that is located on site. [...] Note: 1. Requires conditional use permit for a kennel. For the purposes of this zone a "kennel" is defined as 5 or more cats or dogs and supersedes the definition of kennel as described in section 18.08.350 of this title.
Full Breakdown
030(c)(1), the city's master schedule for accessory animal raising. Hens and similar fowl or rabbits require a minimum lot area to be eligible at all and a minimum open yard of ten feet by twenty feet; permitted numbers rise from three animals on a lot under 4,000 square feet to five on a lot of 7,201 to 9,999 square feet, one per 2,000 square feet between 10,000 and 20,000 square feet, and a hard cap of nine per species above that. Male fowl require a full acre and are capped at nine per lot with no more than two of any species.
Larger stock is scaled the same way: sheep and goats top out at one per lot on smaller parcels and a cumulative nine sheep-and-goats above 20,000 square feet, while cattle, buffalo and horses need 20,000 square feet with sixty feet of frontage and are capped at nine animals total. 030(D) requires animals other than cats, dogs, canaries, birds of the species Gallus gallus domesticus (chickens), or psittacine birds to be kept at least seventy feet from a neighboring dwelling or public-assembly building and forty feet from one on the same site, and structures housing animals must sit at least five feet from interior side and rear lines and one hundred feet from a domestic well. 040 incorporates the entire R-S accessory-use list, so the same hens-only, table-based limits reach the city's ordinary single-family lots.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the table's per-lot animal counts, keeping five or more dogs or cats without a conditional use permit (which triggers the code's kennel definition), or keeping roosters or other male fowl beyond the one-per-two-of-any-species cap on less than an acre are code violations subject to the city's standard zoning enforcement under Redlands City Code chapter 18.208, up to and including a conditional use permit revocation or abatement order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep chickens on a regular Redlands R-1 lot?
Are roosters allowed in Redlands?
How many dogs or cats can I keep before I need a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redlands
How Redlands compares: Best Cities for Backyard Chickens·California rules heatmap·Compare Redlands to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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