Sonoma County Zoning Code Chapter 26 allows chickens and livestock in unincorporated areas with caps that scale to parcel size and zoning district. In rural residential zones, one horse or cow, five goats, or fifty chickens are allowed per 20,000 square feet. There is no countywide ban on roosters, and the agricultural-residential and rural districts permit a broad range of farm animals.
Under the Sonoma County Zoning Regulations (Chapter 26), animal-keeping limits depend on the zoning district. Article 18 covers Agricultural and Resource zones (LIA, LEA, DA, RRD) and Article 9 / Article 8 cover the Rural Residential (RR) and Agriculture and Residential (AR) districts. The Permit Sonoma Agriculture/Animals/Trees FAQ summarizes the rules: in the RR district, you may keep one horse or cow, or five goats, or fifty chickens for every 20,000 square feet of parcel area. The same per-area caps apply to parcels of two acres or less in the AR and agricultural districts; larger parcels in those districts have no fixed numerical limits. Where parcels are five acres or less in the RR zone, or two acres or less in the LIA, LEA, DA, RRD, AR, and PCRR zones, a maximum of 50 chickens applies. Roosters are not prohibited countywide and are allowed in unincorporated Sonoma County. Confinement, sanitation, and trespass rules from Chapter 5 (e.g., § 5-126 public nuisance) still apply, and animals must be kept in a manner that does not unreasonably interfere with neighbors' use of property.
Exceeding the zoning animal limit for your parcel is a zoning violation enforceable by Permit Sonoma and can result in code enforcement citations, abatement orders, and daily administrative penalties under the County's code enforcement program. Animals creating noise or odor nuisances are independently subject to abatement under § 5-126 (public nuisance) with referral to the District Attorney for prosecution if the owner fails to comply.
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