Animal Ordinances in Birmingham, AL

Birmingham maintains 112 local ordinances across all categories, and 9 of those deal specifically with animal ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Birmingham falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Chickens & Livestock

Birmingham's zoning ordinance allows a backyard chicken coop as an accessory use to a single-family home in D-1, D-2 and D-3 districts: no more than 6 hens, roosters prohibited, and an enclosed predator-proof coop/run in the rear yard. Larger flocks (up to 100 hens) and livestock barns are allowed only in agricultural/commercial districts.

Key details: Max hens (residential): 6 (D-1, D-2, D-3 districts). Roosters: Prohibited. Coop size / height: <= 80 sq ft, <= 6 ft tall, rear yard. Setbacks: 10 ft from property lines; 15 ft from adjacent residences. Code Section: Birmingham Zoning Ord. Title 1, Ch. 4 (Permitted as Accessory) - Chicken Coop.

Coops that are not maintained in sound condition, or that are visible from the public right-of-way or an adjacent property while in disrepair, are declared a nuisance and are subject to code enforcement. Keeping roosters, more than six hens, or a coop outside the allowed districts/setbacks is a zoning violation subject to abatement.

Cat Rules

Birmingham makes it unlawful to keep any cat over three months old without a current rabies inoculation and tag issued under state law. The city runs no feral-colony or trap-neuter-return program in its code: a stray or unowned cat picked up by animal control is impounded and, if unclaimed after three days, may be destroyed, adopted out, or transferred by the animal control supervisor.

Key details: Tag/rabies shot required: cats over 3 months old. Inoculation renewal: within preceding 12 months. Impoundment hold: minimum 3 days. Redemption fees: board, inoculation, impounding. Feral colony/TNR program: none in city code.

Failing to tag and inoculate a cat, or operating an unlicensed cat-breeding or boarding kennel, is enforced by the animal control center supervisor, animal control officers or any city police officer under Section 6-1-11. Absent a more specific penalty, the general Code of Ordinances penalty applies: a fine of up to $500.00 and/or imprisonment up to six months, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense.

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Birmingham's Zoning Ordinance permits veterinary clinics, kennels, dog training, and boarding facilities as a listed use in the M-1A General Industrial District, but an outdoor kennel or dog run needs a site development plan approved by the Zoning Advisory Committee and cannot sit within 1,000 feet of a residential zoning district.

Key details: Permitted zones: M-1 and M-1A industrial districts. Outdoor kennel review: Zoning Advisory Committee site plan. Residential buffer: 1,000 feet minimum. Screening authority: Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Operating outside kennels or dog runs without Zoning Advisory Committee approval, or within 1,000 feet of a residential zone district, is a Zoning Ordinance violation enforced by the Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits under Article VII. Violations are punishable under the Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-1-6: a fine up to $500.00, up to six months in the city jail, workhouse, or hard labor, or both, with each day of the violation a separate offense.

Pet Limits

No Birmingham-specific ordinance sets a fixed maximum number of household dogs or cats; Alabama state law does not impose a numeric pet limit either. Animals must still be confined, vaccinated for rabies, and may not be kept so as to create a public nuisance.

Key details: Numeric pet limit: None in city or AL state code. State authority: Ala. Code Sec. 3-7A-14. Residential hen cap: 6 hens (zoning ordinance). Enforcement basis: Nuisance / sanitation / rabies / at-large rules.

There is no per-animal count citation; enforcement is through nuisance, sanitation, rabies-vaccination and at-large provisions. Conditions involving large numbers of animals are typically pursued as public-nuisance or animal-cruelty matters.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Birmingham gives residents more flexibility on pet limits.

Beekeeping

Birmingham's Zoning Ordinance lets a homeowner keep up to ten beehives as an accessory use to a residential structure or community garden, but every apiary must sit in the rear yard, stay 20 feet from all property lines, and include a six-foot flyway barrier that forces bees to fly up and over neighboring yards instead of straight across the fence line.

Key details: Max hives: Up to 10 hives per lot. Small-lot cap: 2 hives under 10,000 sq ft. Setback: 20 feet from all property lines. Flyway barrier: 6 ft tall, 3 ft past opening. Placement: Rear yard only.

Birmingham enforces its Zoning Ordinance through the Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits, whose director is charged under Article VII with reporting and acting on apparent violations. An apiary that skips the rear-yard placement, setback, water-source, or flyway-barrier conditions is a zoning violation subject to the Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-1-6: a fine up to $500.00 or up to six months in the city jail, workhouse, or hard labor, with each day of continued violation counted as a separate offense.

Dog Leash Laws

It is unlawful for a Birmingham owner to let a dog or cat run at large, meaning off-leash and not confined by a wall, fence or vehicle. Fines escalate fast: $100 minimum for a first offense within 12 months, $250 for a second (which forces a court appearance), and $400 plus possible jail for a third or later offense.

Key details: At-large defined: not leashed, chained, or enclosed. First offense fine: $100.00 minimum. Second offense fine: $250.00 minimum, court required. Third+ offense: $400.00 minimum, possible jail. Applies to: dogs and cats alike.

First offense within 12 months: minimum $100.00 fine, resolvable administratively under Section 8-3-10. Second offense in the same 12-month window: minimum $250.00 fine and a mandatory court appearance. Third or subsequent offense: minimum $400.00 fine and/or imprisonment under Section 1-1-6. Officers may impound the animal instead of citing when the owner is unknown.

Exotic Pets

Birmingham does not list which exotic species are banned outright; instead it requires that any wild or vicious animal kept in the city be securely confined so it cannot bite or attack a person or another animal. Keeping one loose or under inadequate restraint is itself the violation, enforced by police and animal control officers.

Key details: Governing rule: secure confinement required, not species list. Covers: any wild or vicious animal kept in city. Enforcement: police, animal control officers. Also barred citywide: swine, goats, sheep (Sec. 6-1-4). Max penalty: $500 fine and/or 6 months jail.

No confinement, no exception. Keeping a wild or vicious animal that is not securely confined or bound is enforced by police officers or animal control officers under Section 6-1-11. The general Code penalty (Section 1-1-6) applies: a fine up to $500.00 and/or imprisonment up to six months, with each day of the violation a separate offense.

Bird Protection

Birmingham flatly bans maiming or killing any wild or migratory bird within city limits, no exceptions written into the section. The rule sits in the same animal chapter as the city's poultry-keeping provisions, which separately regulate domestic fowl kept for food or sale rather than wild birds.

Key details: Prohibited act: maiming or killing wild/migratory birds. Exceptions written in: none. Applies to: wild birds, not domestic poultry. Penalty basis: general Sec. 1-1-6 penalty clause. Max penalty: $500 fine and/or 6 months jail.

Maiming or killing a wild or migratory bird is enforced under the Code's general penalty clause, Section 1-1-6, since Section 6-1-119 states no penalty of its own: a fine of up to $500.00 and/or imprisonment up to six months, with each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense.

This is one of the stricter rules in Birmingham's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Breed Restrictions

Birmingham does not impose a breed-specific ban. Alabama's dangerous-dog law (Emily's Law) is expressly breed-neutral: a dog is judged dangerous by its conduct, regardless of breed, which constrains any local breed-specific legislation.

Key details: Breed-specific ban: None (city or state). Code Section: Ala. Code Sec. 3-6A-3 (Emily's Law). Standard: Breed-neutral; based on the dog's conduct. Police-dog exclusion: Law-enforcement animals excepted.

There is no breed-based offense. Enforcement focuses on a dog's conduct: once a dog is adjudicated dangerous under Chapter 3-6A, the owner faces strict containment, restraint, microchipping, sterilization and liability-coverage requirements, with criminal penalties for non-compliance regardless of breed.

Birmingham is more permissive than most cities when it comes to breed restrictions. That said, there are still limits.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Birmingham gives residents more room on animal ordinances. 2 of the 9 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

These rules come from Birmingham's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.