South Bend allows up to 6 hens per single-family home with a Chicken Coop Permit; roosters are banned. Coops give 1 sq ft per bird, sit 15 feet from lot lines and 20 feet from neighboring homes. Livestock needs 5 acres.
Under Municipal Code Sec. 5-37, a South Bend resident may keep up to six chickens (no roosters) at a residentially zoned single-family dwelling with a Chicken Coop Permit on file with the Division of Animal Welfare and BOAH registration. The coop must have solid sides and a lockable door and provide 18 inches of height and 1 square foot per bird; the pen gives 2 square feet per bird, sits behind the house, and stays at least 15 feet from any property line and 20 feet from any residential dwelling. Cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, and horses require a minimum of 5 acres under Sec. 5-36.
Keeping chickens without a permit, keeping roosters, or exceeding six birds draws a citation from the Division of Animal Welfare and an order to correct or remove the animals, with each day a separate offense.
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