Tulare, CA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

The Tulare Animal Ordinance is codified at Title 6, Chapter 6.12 of the Tulare Municipal Code. § 6.12.050 (Definitions) and § 6.12.060 (Jurisdiction) frame the chapter. § 6.12.210 (Animal Nuisances Prohibited) is the operative provision for backyard livestock complaints: the City Manager or Animal Services Officer may investigate when written affirmation comes from two or more residents in separate residences within the neighborhood, or from a single person if only one resident lives within 300 feet of the offending animal. If a nuisance is found, an abatement order may issue. Critically, § 6.12.210 incorporates the California Right to Farm Act exemption — no animal that is part of an agricultural operation exempt under Cal. Civ. Code § 3482.5 shall be deemed a public nuisance, provided the animal is kept in compliance with state law. Residential lots are zoned for limited animal keeping; the R-A (Rural Residential) zone in Chapter 10.28 permits broader livestock uses than urban residential zones. Roosters are not permitted in residential zones — the City Council voted in 2014 to keep its ban on backyard poultry citing California Poultry Federation disease-risk concerns, though limited hen-keeping has since been accommodated in some zones. For Tulare County (unincorporated) animal keeping, see Tulare County Code Chapter 4-7 (Control of Animals).