Can I keep backyard chickens in Carpinteria, California?
Yes, with a permit from the city manager. You can keep one hen per 1,000 sq ft of lot area, up to 24 birds total, in a fully covered and enclosed coop at least 25 feet from any home, and roosters are not allowed anywhere in the city.
| Permit | Required from the city manager (or authorized representative) [1] |
| Max number | 1 per 1,000 sq ft of lot area, 24 total maximum (fowl and rabbits combined) [3] |
| Coop setback | 25 feet from any residence or other place of human habitation [3] |
| Roosters | Not permitted in the city (also peacocks) [3] |
| Horses, cows, goats, pigs | Prohibited on lots of 10,000 sq ft or less; 1 per lot on larger lots [4] |
Permit required
Carpinteria lets residents keep chickens, but only with a permit. The Animal Control chapter makes keeping any chicken or other fowl unlawful without a permit from the city manager or an authorized representative [1]. The R-1 single-family zone lists the keeping of animals and poultry "as provided in" that chapter as a use permitted by right [5], so the zoning code doesn't add a separate approval. The zoning code also refers to Section 6.04.420, which doesn't appear in our copy of the Animal Control chapter; this page relies only on 6.04.390.
You apply in writing, and the city investigates. The permit is issued if the city finds the birds won't be a nuisance, a public-health menace, an interference with neighbors' enjoyment of their property, a violation of other law, or a breeding ground for insects or vermin [6]. A permit can be revoked for cause.
How many birds
Fowl and rabbits (leporidae) are limited to one per 1,000 sq ft of lot area or 24 in total, whichever is less [3]. A 6,000 sq ft lot could have up to 6 birds. A 4,000 sq ft lot in the 4-R-1 district could have 4.
Coop location
Birds may not be kept inside any building used as a residence, and you must provide a hutch, pen, house or building constructed according to law [2]. The coop must be a totally covered and enclosed area at least 25 feet from any residence or other place of human habitation [3]. The text doesn't limit this to neighbors' homes, so it appears to include your own house. On small lots the 25-foot distance can be hard to meet.
Roosters and other animals
Roosters and peacocks are not permitted anywhere in the city [3]. Horses, cows, sheep, goats and pigs are banned on lots of 10,000 sq ft or less and limited to one per lot on larger lots, with their barns or stables at least 300 feet from any dwelling [4]. A special permit is available for one young sheep, goat or pig in a 4-H or FFA project.
California has no statewide backyard-chicken right, so these city limits govern.
See how Carpinteria compares with 8+ other California towns on backyard chickens →
Next steps
- Measure your lot area to work out how many birds you may keep (1 per 1,000 sq ft, 24 maximum).
- Pick a coop spot that is fully covered and enclosed and at least 25 feet from any home, including neighbors'.
- Apply in writing to the city manager's office for an animal permit under Municipal Code 6.04.390; call Community Development at (805) 684-5405 to confirm where to file.
- Don't keep a rooster; they are not allowed anywhere in the city.
Common questions
- Can I have backyard chickens in Carpinteria, California?
- Yes, with a permit from the city manager. The city issues it after finding the birds won't be a nuisance or a public-health menace, and the permit can be revoked for cause.
- How many chickens can I have in Carpinteria, California?
- One per 1,000 sq ft of lot area, up to 24 total, with fowl and rabbits counted together. A 6,000 sq ft lot could have up to 6 birds.
- Are roosters allowed in Carpinteria, California?
- No. Roosters and peacocks are not permitted anywhere in the city.
- How far does a chicken coop have to be from a house in Carpinteria, California?
- The coop must be a totally covered and enclosed area at least 25 feet from any residence or other place of human habitation, which appears to include your own house. On small lots that distance can be hard to meet.
California state rules on backyard chickens
California has no statewide right to keep backyard chickens, and no state law sets hen limits, rooster bans or coop setbacks for homes. Those rules come from your city or county, usually in the zoning code, the animal-control ordinance or both. Some cities allow a few hens by right, some require a permit, some ban poultry in residential zones, and many ban roosters.
A few state laws still matter:
- Right-to-farm protection is for commercial farms: Civil Code §3482.5 shields commercial agricultural operations that have run for more than three years from new nuisance claims. It doesn't protect a backyard flock from local rules or neighbor complaints.
- Cockfighting is a crime: under Penal Code §597b, making roosters fight for amusement or gain, or allowing it on your property, is a criminal offense. That's one reason some cities limit roosters.
- Bird flu (H5N1): the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) asks all poultry and livestock owners to practice biosecurity (limit contact with wild birds, monitor flock health) and to report sick birds. The CDFA bird flu line is 1-866-922-2473.
- Hen housing standards (Prop 2 / Prop 12, Health & Safety Code §25990 et seq.) set minimum space for egg-laying hens. They're aimed at commercial egg production and sales, not typical backyard flocks.
- Nuisance and health rules still apply: cities and counties can address odor, noise, flies and rodents under local nuisance and health ordinances.
Check your city's municipal code, and any HOA rules, before getting birds.
What the ordinance says
- Sec. 6.04.390(A), Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6.04 Animal Control (6.04.390 livestock and fowl permit; 6.04.420), p. 1
The keeping or maintaining within the city of any livestock including any live horse, mule or other equine, cow or other bovine, sheep, goat or other bovidae, hog or other suidae, chicken or other fowl shall be unlawful without a permit first having been obtained from the city manager or authorized representative.
- Sec. 6.04.390(B), Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6.04 Animal Control (6.04.390 livestock and fowl permit; 6.04.420), p. 1
No live horse, mule or other equine, cow or other bovine, sheep, goat or other bovidae, hog or other suidae, chicken or other fowl, or other livestock shall be kept in any building used for residential purposes, or in any part thereof, nor shall any such animal be kept or maintained in the city unless there is provided for that purpose a barn, stable, hutch, pen, house or building constructed according to law.
- Sec. 6.04.390(D), Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6.04 Animal Control (6.04.390 livestock and fowl permit; 6.04.420), p. 1
Fowl or leporidae shall not exceed one per one thousand square feet of lot area, or twenty-four total fowl or leporidae, whichever is the lesser. Fowl or leporidae may be stabled or hutched in a totally covered and enclosed area not less than twenty-five feet from any residence, apartment, hotel, motel, school, church, hospital, public building, dwelling or other place of human habitation. Roosters and peacocks are not permitted within the city.
- Sec. 6.04.390(C), Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6.04 Animal Control (6.04.390 livestock and fowl permit; 6.04.420), p. 1
Equine, bovine, bovidae, or suidae shall be prohibited on any lot of ten thousand square feet or less. On lots greater than ten thousand square feet there shall be a limit of one per lot.
- Sec. 14.12.030(7), Municipal Code Title 14 Ch. 14.12 R-1 Single-Family Residential District (14.12.030 uses permitted by right), p. 1
The keeping of animals and poultry as provided in Sections 6.04.390 and 6.04.420;
- Sec. 6.04.390(F), Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6.04 Animal Control (6.04.390 livestock and fowl permit; 6.04.420), p. 1
A permit shall be applied for to the city manager or authorized representative in writing and the city manager or authorized representative shall thereupon cause an investigation to be made.