Tracy, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)
Key Facts
- Poultry/rabbit buffer
- 25 ft from dwellings, 50 ft if over 30
- Poultry/rabbit cap
- 200 total without a Council permit
- Rooster buffer
- 50 ft from dwelling if over 4 months old
- Livestock lot size
- 20,000 sq ft minimum
- Livestock structure setback
- 75 ft from a dwelling
- Hardship relief
- public hearing before City Council
Summary
Tracy allows backyard chickens and rabbits, but bans keeping them within 25 feet of any dwelling, school, church, or hospital, pushes that buffer to 50 feet once you keep more than 30, and caps the total at 200 without a special Council permit; keeping horses, cows, or goats needs at least 20,000 square feet.
It is hereby declared to be a nuisance and it shall be unlawful to keep or permit to be kept, upon any premises in the City, any rabbits or poultry: (a) Within twenty-five (25) feet of any dwelling, school, church, or hospital, or, (b) If more than thirty (30) in all of any such rabbits or poultry are kept, within fifty (50) feet of any dwelling, school, church or hospital. (c) If more than 200 in all, of such rabbits or poultry, except by special permit of the Council first had and obtained, or to keep any rooster over four (4) months old within fifty (50) feet of any dwelling, school, church, or hospital. ... It is hereby declared to be a nuisance and it shall be unlawful to keep or permit to be kept upon any premises in the City, any horse, mule, jack, jenny, cow, bull, calf, heifer, sheep, goat (except pygmy goats), swine, hog or pig (except pot belly pigs): (a) On any lot containing less than 20,000 square feet; or (b) In any corral or barn within seventy-five (75) feet of any dwelling.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 69).
Full Breakdown
260 declares it a nuisance, and unlawful, to keep rabbits or poultry within 25 feet of any dwelling, school, church, or hospital. Once an owner keeps more than 30 rabbits or poultry in total, that buffer expands to 50 feet from the same set of protected uses, and any rooster over four months old must stay at least 50 feet from a dwelling, school, church, or hospital regardless of flock size. Keeping more than 200 rabbits or poultry in total is unlawful without a special permit from the City Council, though the 200-bird cap does not apply retroactively to rabbit or poultry ranches that were already operating above that number when the limit took effect.
270, which bans keeping any horse, mule, cow, bull, sheep, goat other than a pygmy goat, or swine or hog other than a pot-bellied pig, on any lot under 20,000 square feet, or in a corral or barn within 75 feet of a dwelling. 320, which may modify the requirement if the Council finds the hardship warrants it. 330, and must themselves be kept enclosed or leashed like a dog.
Violations & Fines
Keeping poultry or rabbits closer than the required buffer, or above 200 without a Council permit, is a declared nuisance and unlawful under Section 5.08.260. Keeping banned livestock on an undersized lot, or too close to a dwelling, is unlawful under Section 5.08.270, and both provisions are enforced by the Animal Services Officer or Police Department under the general enforcement authority in Section 5.08.120, subject to the hardship-hearing option in Section 5.08.320.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many chickens can I keep in my Tracy backyard?
Can I keep a rooster in Tracy?
Can I keep a horse or cow on my property in Tracy?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tracy
How Tracy compares: Best Cities for Backyard Chickens·California rules heatmap·Compare Tracy to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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