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

050(L) treats fowl, other than roosters, as a livestock animal alongside dogs, cats, horses, cows, oxen, sheep and goats for Animal Husbandry purposes in the R-1 zone. That use is barred on any lot under one acre, and even on a qualifying lot the code caps the number at two adult animals plus their immature offspring per acre, with an absolute ceiling of four adult animals per site no matter how large the parcel. Every such animal, including fowl, must be kept at least 35 feet from any dwelling or building used for human habitation and at least 100 feet from any public park, school or hospital.

505, a cap of four animals total on the lot, and the same 35-foot separation from nearby homes, schools, churches and hospitals. Ordinary backyard chicken-keeping outside a qualifying acreage or group project is not an authorized use in the R-1 zone. Roosters are excluded from both pathways regardless of lot size. Because these are use-type limits tied to the R-1 zoning district, they apply on top of, not instead of, the separate cap in subsection I allowing up to six domestic animals over four months old per dwelling unit.

020 makes an unpermitted zoning violation a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense.