Warren, MI Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Before keeping hens, an owner must first obtain a building permit for a detached henhouse and pen under the Zoning Ordinance, sized for at least one square foot per hen, with insulated walls, a ventilated roof, a human access door, a chicken door with a secured latch, and half-inch galvanized hardware cloth enclosing the pen on all four sides and overhead. The henhouse may be elevated 18 to 36 inches off the ground and is exempt from the standard accessory-structure setback rule, but the henhouse and pen together must sit at least 10 feet from every adjacent property line.

Once the building division signs off on a final inspection, the keeper applies to the city clerk for an annual hen license, providing identifying information, an annual fee set by city council resolution, and written consent from the property owner (and, on a two-family lot, the other occupant) if the applicant does not own the property. Only one hen license may issue per lot, and it is non-transferable, site-specific, and does not run with the land, so a new owner must reapply. Renewal applications are due 20 calendar days before expiration and are routed to the animal control officer for a compliance recommendation.

No more than four hens are ever allowed, no roosters or other fowl, no on-site slaughter, and eggs may not be sold. Existing keepers had 365 days from the June 24, 2025 ordinance's effective date, or their next license renewal, whichever is later, to come into compliance.