Washtenaw County does not zone residential land, so whether you can keep livestock depends on your city or township. Bona fide farm operations are protected from nuisance suits by Michigan's Right to Farm Act when they follow accepted practices.
Michigan cities and townships, not the county, decide where livestock such as goats, horses, sheep, and cattle may be kept. Most residential zoning in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti prohibits farm animals, while agricultural and rural township districts allow them. A commercial or bona fide farm operation is shielded by the Right to Farm Act (MCL 286.473): a farm conforming to Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices cannot be found to be a public or private nuisance. This state protection can override some local restrictions on qualifying operations, but it does not license livestock in ordinary residential lots.
Keeping prohibited livestock in a residential zone is enforced by the city or township as a zoning or civil-infraction violation; the county issues no livestock penalties.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Washtenaw County, MI
Backyard composting is allowed in Ann Arbor, which also runs curbside compost and yard-waste collection. Grass clippings, leaves, and yard waste must not be ...
Washtenaw County, MI
Neither Washtenaw County nor Ann Arbor has a specific ordinance banning or permitting residential artificial turf. It is generally allowed, subject to standa...
Washtenaw County, MI
Washtenaw County and Ann Arbor allow and actively encourage native-plant and pollinator landscaping. The 12-inch turf-grass cap targets neglected lawns, not ...
Washtenaw County, MI
Rainwater harvesting is legal and unrestricted for homeowners in Washtenaw County and Michigan. Ann Arbor actively encourages rain barrels, rain gardens, and...
Washtenaw County, MI
Michigan has no statewide homeowner lawn-watering ban, and Washtenaw County sets none. Watering is largely unrestricted; the City of Ann Arbor asks residents...
Washtenaw County, MI
Ann Arbor's weed control is folded into its grass rule: section 3:16, titled Grass and Weeds, bars turf grass on private property above 12 inches. There is n...
See how Washtenaw County's livestock rules stack up against other locations.
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