Redwood City, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 5.26 sits in Article III, Division 1 of Chapter 5 (Animals and Fowl) of the Redwood City Code. It does two jobs at once: it declares the keeping of fowl and rabbits a nuisance, and it makes the same conduct unlawful. The covered animals are live chickens, roosters over four months of age, geese, ducks, turkeys and similar fowl, plus rabbits. The covered conduct is to keep, maintain or feed them, and the section reaches both confined and unconfined areas, so a free-roaming flock gets no shelter from the rule.

The exception is narrow. A maximum of five chickens or three rabbits, or a combination of the two not exceeding five animals, can be kept, maintained or fed as pets, and only within confined clean coops or cages. Two chickens and three rabbits fit under the combined cap of five. The text names three as the rabbit maximum. Ducks, geese and turkeys have no pet allowance at all, and roosters over four months of age are listed by name in the ban. The only person carved out of the section by name is a licensed veterinarian.

Selling is a separate prohibition. Section 5.27 makes it unlawful to display, sell, offer for sale, barter, give or otherwise dispose of in the City any chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, pigeons, doves, squabs or similar fowl or rabbits.

Larger animals follow a different track in Article IV. Anyone keeping horses, cows, goats or sheep applies for a permit to the Building Official or designee and pays an annual fee of $10.00 for each of the first two animals and $2.50 for every additional one (Sec. 5.46). The Health Department inspects the premises, and the permit is renewed annually on or before June 30 (Sec. 5.48). Section 5.75 lets a licensed business keep animals and fowl that are directly related to the basic purposes of its operation. Section 5.26 was last amended by Ordinance No. 2562, adopted 7-27-26.