Stanislaus County, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)
Key Facts
- Street setback
- 50 ft from public street, edge of pavement
- Property-line setback
- 40 ft from any adjacent property
- District
- Rural Residential (R-A)
- Ordinary building setback
- 5 ft side/rear (§21.24.080(B))
Summary
In Stanislaus County's Rural Residential (R-A) district, any building used for keeping livestock or poultry must sit at least fifty feet from any public street and forty feet from any adjacent property, a setback set out at Zoning Code Section 21.24.080(D) that is far stricter than the five-foot side-yard rule that applies to ordinary accessory buildings.
Buildings for Keeping Livestock or Poultry. Not less than fifty feet from any public street, measured from edge of pavement, nor less than forty feet from any adjacent property.
Full Breakdown
080 lays out the yards and open-space rules for the county's Rural Residential district, and subsection (D) singles out one use for its own, larger buffer: 'Buildings for Keeping Livestock or Poultry. ' That is roughly ten times the ordinary five-foot interior side- and rear-yard setback the same section sets for a standard R-A home in subsection (B), reflecting the county's judgment that barns, coops, and stables need more separation from neighbors and roadways than a garage or shed. 080(D) instead governs where any qualifying livestock or poultry structure can physically be placed once that threshold analysis is done.
060(F) imposes on parcels fronting specific county roads such as McHenry Avenue or State Highway 108. Because the R-A district borders both the A-2 general agriculture district and denser residential zones, the fifty-foot street setback and forty-foot property-line setback are the tools the county uses to keep barns and stables from crowding an adjoining home.
Violations & Fines
Erecting a livestock or poultry building closer than fifty feet to a public street or forty feet from an adjacent property line without approval is a zoning violation under Stanislaus County Code Section 1.36.010, punishable as a misdemeanor by a fine of up to one thousand dollars, up to six months in county jail, or both, and the planning department can require the structure be relocated or removed to bring the parcel into compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far from the road must a barn or chicken coop be in unincorporated Stanislaus County?
What is the required distance from my neighbor's property for a livestock building?
Does this setback apply everywhere in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stanislaus County
How Stanislaus County compares: Best Cities for Backyard Chickens·California rules heatmap·Compare Stanislaus County to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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