Mendocino County, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Sec. 030 of the Mendocino County Code defines "Animal Raising - Personal" as raising hen chickens or rabbits for personal use on parcels of 40,000 square feet or less, and it caps the flock at six animals of any one kind or combination on the lot. Coops or pens must sit at least 50 feet from any building used for human habitation, must be confined to the rear one-third of the lot, and must be set back at least five feet from the side or rear property line.

There is no separate permit application built into this section; it operates as a use-type standard enforced through the Planning and Building Services Department when a complaint or a building permit review flags noncompliance. Parcels larger than 40,000 square feet, or those zoned Agriculture-General (A-G), Rangeland (R-L), Upland Residential (U-R), Forest Land (F-L) or Timberland Production Zone (TPZ), fall instead under Sec. 025, Animal Raising - General Agriculture, which covers grazing, animal husbandry for cattle, sheep, horses, goats, pigs and poultry (including egg production), and sale of what is produced on-site; 4-H and FFA projects are allowed countywide regardless of zoning.

Structures that house the animals carry their own setbacks under Sec. 015(H): on parcels over 40,000 square feet, barns, stables and chicken houses must sit at least 50 feet from any property line and 40 feet from any dwelling; on smaller parcels they must sit on the rear third of the lot, at least four feet from the side or rear line, and still 40 feet from any dwelling. A property keeping more than six hens for personal use, or housing them closer to the house or lot line than these numbers allow, is out of compliance even without a use permit in play.