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

The City of Westminster regulates poultry through its own Municipal Code, Chapter 6.12 (Animals), rather than under Orange County rules. The code states that it is unlawful for any person to keep or maintain any domestic animal, fowl, bees or livestock in or upon any public or private property in the city, except as the code allows. Anyone who wants to keep an animal that is otherwise prohibited must apply to Westminster Animal Control for a permit, and may not keep the animal unless and until a permit is issued. In practice this means backyard chickens are not a by-right use the way they are in some other California cities; a resident must first obtain a permit, and Animal Control reviews the request against the code's conditions. Because Westminster is a dense, largely residential Orange County city on small urban lots, roosters and large poultry flocks are heavily restricted and noise nuisance rules also apply. Residents who want to keep hens should contact Westminster Animal Control directly to confirm whether a permit can be issued for their specific lot, what setbacks or coop conditions apply, and how many birds may be allowed. Always rely on the permit determination from the city rather than on third-party chicken-law aggregator sites, which sometimes list figures that do not match Westminster's actual code.