Killeen, TX Right to Farm: Farm Nuisance Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Default rule
- Livestock, swine, fowl banned citywide
- Exemption
- Land zoned and used AG or AR-1
- Condition on exemption
- Owner must prevent nuisance conditions
- Also exempt
- Killeen ISD and City of Killeen property
- Penalty
- Up to $500 fine per offense (Sec. 1-8)
- Governing sections
- Code of Ordinances Sec. 6-153, 6-154
Summary
Killeen bans keeping livestock, swine or fowl within city limits, but Code of Ordinances Sec. 6-154 exempts any land zoned and used AG (agricultural open space) or AR-1 (agricultural residential) from that ban entirely, protecting working farms on properly zoned land from the general no-livestock rule.
Sec. 6-153. - Livestock, fowl and swine prohibited within city limits.(a)No person shall possess, keep or permit to be kept, or have care, custody or control of any livestock, swine or fowl within the city except as provided by this chapter, or by the city's zoning ordinances...Sec. 6-154. - Exemption for land zoned AG or AR-1.(a)Notwithstanding any other provision in this chapter, section 6-153 shall not be applicable to any land zoned and used as AG (agricultural open space) or AR-1 (agricultural residential-1) designated according to the zoning ordinance of the city.(b)No owner of any exempted property under this section shall fail to exercise proper care and control of his livestock, fowl, swine, or any other animal to prevent them from becoming a nuisance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-153 sets Killeen's default rule: no person may possess, keep, or have custody of livestock, swine, or fowl within city limits except as provided by Chapter 6 or the city's zoning ordinances, and the only entities exempted from that baseline are Killeen ISD and the City of Killeen itself. Section 6-154 then carves out the protection that functions as Killeen's right-to-farm provision: notwithstanding any other provision of the chapter, the livestock ban shall not be applicable to any land zoned and used as AG (agricultural open space) or AR-1 (agricultural residential-1) designated according to the zoning ordinance of the city.
That means a property owner on land carrying an AG or AR-1 zoning designation can keep livestock, swine, and fowl without needing a separate chapter 6 exemption, unlike a resident anywhere else in the city limits. The protection is not unconditional, though: subsection (b) still requires the owner of exempted property to exercise proper care and control of the livestock, fowl, or swine so it does not become a nuisance, tying the exemption back into Killeen's general animal-nuisance rules at Sec. 6-37. Owners on AG or AR-1 land remain subject to the separate rules on livestock running at large under Sec.
6-155, on keeping animals near creeks and waterways under Sec. 6-156, and to the city's zoning ordinance governing what the AG and AR-1 districts otherwise permit.
Violations & Fines
Keeping livestock, swine, or fowl outside the AG/AR-1 exemption or without another chapter 6 authorization is an offense under Sec. 6-153, punishable under the Sec. 1-8 general penalty of up to $500 per offense, with each day treated as a separate violation. Even on exempted AG or AR-1 land, letting livestock become a nuisance under Sec. 6-37 or run at large under Sec. 6-155 remains independently punishable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep chickens or goats on my property in Killeen?
Does Killeen have a right-to-farm law protecting agricultural land?
Do owners on AG/AR-1 exempted land still have to follow nuisance rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Killeen
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Killeen to another location·View the Texas right to farm overview
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