Guilford County allows livestock in agricultural and rural residential zoning districts, not county-wide by right. Livestock and fowl must be kept on the owner's premises or under control, and cannot become a nuisance to neighbors.
Whether horses, cattle, goats, sheep, swine and similar livestock may be kept in unincorporated Guilford County depends on the zoning district in the county Development Ordinance; agricultural and larger-lot rural districts allow them, often scaled to acreage. Chapter 5 does not set a numeric head limit but its running-at-large rule (Sec. 5-9) applies: each owner must keep livestock and fowl on the premises or under control. Structures for animals must meet zoning setbacks, and manure/odor must not create a nuisance. Verify your district and any minimum-acreage standard with Guilford County Planning & Development.
Livestock at large may be impounded and the owner cited under Sec. 5-9; keeping livestock in a prohibited district is a zoning violation with daily civil penalties.
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See how Guilford County's livestock rules stack up against other locations.
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