6 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Whatcom County, Washington.
Verified from official government sources
Backyard hens are widely allowed across Whatcom County. Bellingham permits chickens but requires coops set at least 50 feet from neighboring homes; rural and agricultural land is broadly open to poultry and livestock, protected by Washington's Right to Farm Act.
RCW 7.48.305(1)
Agricultural activities conducted on farmland and forest practices, if consistent with good agricultural and forest practices and established prior to surrounding nonagricultural and nonforestry activities, are presumed to be reasonable and shall not be found to constitute a nuisance unless the activity or practice has a substantial adverse effect on public health and safety.
Whatcom County and its cities require dogs to be leashed or under control off the owner's property, with licensing and rabies vaccination required. Under RCW 16.08.040, a dog owner is liable for any bite, regardless of the dog's prior history.
RCW 16.08.040(1)
The owner of any dog which shall bite any person while such person is in or on a public place or lawfully in or on a private place including the property of the owner of such dog, shall be liable for such damages as may be suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of such dog or the owner's knowledge of such viciousness.
Washington does not ban breed-specific rules outright, but since 2020 RCW 16.08.110 bars any city or county from regulating dogs by breed unless it also offers a good-behavior exemption. Whatcom County and Bellingham regulate dangerous dogs by conduct, not breed.
RCW 16.08.110(1)
A city or county may not prohibit the possession of a dog based upon its breed, impose requirements specific to possession of a dog based upon its breed, or declare a dog dangerous or potentially dangerous based on its breed, unless all of the following conditions are met:
Beekeeping is lawful and popular across Whatcom County's farm country, supporting berry and orchard pollination. Washington requires anyone owning one or more hives to register with the state Department of Agriculture by April 1 each year under RCW 15.60.021.
RCW 15.60.021(1)
Each person owning one or more hives with bees, brokers renting hives, and apiarists resident in other states who operate hives in Washington shall register with the director by April 1st each year.
Washington bans keeping dangerous wild animals as pets. Under RCW 16.30, no one may newly possess large cats, bears, wolves, primates, or venomous snakes. Whatcom County and its cities cannot authorize these, and non-native wildlife needs a state Fish and Wildlife permit.
Whatcom County has no blanket wildlife-feeding ban, but state rules bar intentionally feeding large carnivores, and feeding deer, coyotes, or bears that become a nuisance can bring enforcement. Securing trash and pet food is the practical rule near forest and foothill neighborhoods.
1 cities in Whatcom County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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