Sun Prairie, WI Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Backyard chickens are treated as a residential accessory use under the zoning code, and a residential accessory use as an institutional one at public and private schools, so a homeowner needs a special use permit before building a coop and then a chicken-keeping license before bringing any birds onto the property, renewed every year from January 1 to December 31 through the city clerk's office. A livestock premises registration from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is also required before the special use permit can issue.

On the zoning side, no more than four hens are allowed on a lot and roosters are banned outright. The coop and attached enclosure must sit only in the rear yard, set back at least 15 feet from every property line, and provide at least 16 square feet per bird while topping out at 120 square feet total; the coop structure itself cannot exceed 50 square feet or 12 feet in height, and must be raised or set on a paved surface. Chickens allowed to roam the yard outside the coop must be behind a fence at least six feet high and returned to the coop nightly.

Waste has to be bagged and placed in city refuse carts, and slaughtering or butchering chickens on site is flatly prohibited and treated as a public nuisance. The city inspects licensed properties on reasonable notice, and the zoning administrator can revoke a special use permit for noncompliance, in which case the chickens must be removed within 30 days.