Orange County, CA Animal Ordinances: Livestock (2026)

Large-animal keeping in unincorporated Orange County is a zoning matter, governed by the County Zoning Code's animal provisions (section 7-9-105, Pets and animals) rather than the OC Animal Care dog-and-cat ordinances. The County standard provides that no equine animal may be kept, stabled, tethered, or otherwise maintained on any parcel of less than one acre (43,560 square feet) unless the underlying zone specifies otherwise — so horses generally require at least an acre of land. For setbacks, no equine, bovine, sheep, swine, goat, or bird may be kept, stabled, tethered, corralled, or confined within 50 feet of any structure used for human habitation other than the owner's, or within 20 feet of any property line. These distance rules are designed to buffer neighbors from odor, flies, and noise. Whether cattle, goats, sheep, or swine are allowed at all, and in what numbers, depends on the specific zoning of the parcel; agricultural and equestrian-oriented zones permit more than standard residential zones. Owners of stables and other places where horses, cattle, or other animals are kept must also properly manage manure and liquid discharge. Anyone planning to keep livestock should verify their parcel's zoning and any animal-keeping overlay with OC Planning before bringing animals onto the property.