Can I keep backyard chickens in Hillsborough, California?
Yes, but only with a letter of permission from Hillsborough's city manager. Roosters three months or older are banned, and the coop or pen must be at least 125 feet from any neighbor's house.
| Permit | Letter of permission from the city manager [2] |
| Roosters | Prohibited (3 months or older) [1] |
| Coop setback | 125 ft from any dwelling you don't control [4] |
| Max hens | No number set in code [2] |
| Horses | Permission letter; 2-acre minimum, 1-2 horses [7] |
Permission letter required
Hillsborough bans keeping chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese and other fowl unless you first get permission [1]. The permission comes as a letter from the city manager or the city manager's designee [2]. It is conditional: if your birds become an annoyance to neighbors or you break the chapter's rules, the town can revoke it [3].
Roosters
Roosters three months old or older are banned outright, with or without a permission letter [1][2].
Coop location
Birds must be confined in an escape-proof yard, pen, coop or other enclosure [5]. No part of the enclosure may be within 125 feet of any dwelling that you don't own, lease or control [4]. On a typical Hillsborough lot that usually means the coop has to sit well inside your property, away from neighbors' houses. Enclosures must be kept clean, sanitary and sightly, or they can be abated as a public nuisance.
Number of birds
The code sets no specific cap on the number of hens; the limit is effectively whatever the city manager's letter allows and what the 125-foot rule leaves room for.
Other animals
The town code bans most farm animals, including mules, donkeys, cows, goats, hogs and pigs, while household pets such as rabbits and caged birds are exempt [6]. Horses need their own permission letter and at least two acres (one or two horses on two acres) [7]. Manure must be removed or stored in approved bins, and it can't be used as fertilizer in town [8].
California has no statewide right to keep backyard chickens, so these local rules control.
See how Hillsborough compares with 8+ other California towns on backyard chickens →
Next steps
- Measure the distance from your planned coop to every neighboring house; it must be at least 125 feet.
- Write to the City Manager's office at Town Hall (1600 Floribunda Ave.) requesting a letter of permission to keep hens, stating the number of birds and the coop location.
- Build an escape-proof enclosure and keep it clean; don't keep roosters.
- Check with the Building and Planning Division ((650) 375-7422) whether the coop structure needs design review or setback clearance.
Common questions
- Can I have chickens in Hillsborough, California?
- Yes, but only with a letter of permission from Hillsborough's city manager. The coop or pen must be at least 125 feet from any neighbor's house.
- Are roosters allowed in Hillsborough, California?
- No. Roosters three months or older are banned.
- How many chickens can I have in Hillsborough, California?
- The code sets no number of hens. You still need the city manager's letter of permission and a coop at least 125 feet from any dwelling you don't control.
- How do I get permission to keep chickens in Hillsborough, California?
- Write to the City Manager's office at Town Hall requesting a letter of permission, stating the number of birds and the coop location. Also check with the Building and Planning Division whether the coop needs design review or setback clearance.
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. 6.24.020, Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6.24 Bees, Wasps, and Fowl (6.24.020-6.24.040), p. 1
Unless permission is obtained as set forth in Section 6.24.030, no person shall keep, or allow to be kept, on any property within the town any domestic fowl, including, but not necessarily limited to, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese, or any wild fowl, including, but not necessarily limited to, squabs, pigeons, partridges, or peacocks; provided, however, that in no event shall any rooster of three months of age or more be kept within the town.
- Sec. 6.24.030, Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6.24 Bees, Wasps, and Fowl (6.24.020-6.24.040), p. 1
Any person wishing to keep any domestic or wild fowl (other than roosters of three months of age or more) on any property within the town shall first obtain a letter of permission to do so from the city manager or the city manager's designee.
- Sec. 6.24.030, Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6.24 Bees, Wasps, and Fowl (6.24.020-6.24.040), p. 1
If at any time such fowl is or becomes an annoyance to surrounding residents or property owners or the keeping of such fowl is not in compliance with the provisions of this chapter or other applicable law, the city manager or the city manager's designee may revoke the permission to keep the fowl.
- Sec. 6.24.040(A), Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6.24 Bees, Wasps, and Fowl (6.24.020-6.24.040), p. 1
No part of any enclosure shall be within one hundred twenty-five feet of any dwelling that is not owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by the resident of the property on which the enclosure is located.
- Sec. 6.24.040(A), Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6.24 Bees, Wasps, and Fowl (6.24.020-6.24.040), p. 1
All fowl permitted to be kept within the town shall be kept and confined within a yard, pen, corral, chicken or bird house, or other enclosure (all hereinafter referred to as "enclosure" or "enclosures") so constructed as to make escape impossible.
- Sec. 6.20.010, Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6.24 Bees, Wasps, and Fowl (6.24.020-6.24.040), p. 1
It is unlawful for any person, firm, company or corporation to keep or maintain, or cause to be kept or maintained, within the town any domestic animal, including, but not necessarily limited to, any horse (except as allowed under Section 6.20.020), mule, donkey, ass, cow, goat (except as allowed under Section 6.20.030), hog, pig or fowl (except as allowed under Chapter 6.24); provided, however, that household pets (examples of which are dogs and cats and the following when kept as household pets and appropriately caged or confined and not otherwise prohibited under Section 6.28.030: rabbits, gerbils, guinea pigs, rats, mice, tropical fish, turtles, lizards and birds) shall not be subject to this prohibition.
- Sec. 6.20.020(C), Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6.24 Bees, Wasps, and Fowl (6.24.020-6.24.040), p. 1
No horse shall be kept on a parcel of land less than two acres in size. One or two horses may be kept on a two-acre parcel.
- Sec. 6.20.040(B), Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6.24 Bees, Wasps, and Fowl (6.24.020-6.24.040), p. 1
No manure shall be used for fertilizing purposes within the town.