Can I keep backyard chickens in Tiburon, California?
Yes, with a chicken keeping permit from the Community Development Director. The permit is ministerial (no hearing), but your flock must meet the town council's adopted chicken keeping standards, which set the detailed rules such as numbers and coop placement and are not in the code text we reviewed.
| Permit required | Chicken keeping permit from the Community Development Director [1] |
| Review type | Ministerial: no notice, discretionary review or public hearing [2] |
| Standards | Must meet chicken keeping standards adopted by town council resolution [3] |
| Other poultry (ducks, turkeys, roosters, etc.) | Conditional use permit [5] |
| Goats, sheep, pigs, horses and other large animals | Conditional use permit [6] |
| Permit lapses if unused | 2 years after issuance [7] |
Permit required
Tiburon treats chicken keeping as an accessory use to a single-family home. It is unlawful to keep chickens anywhere in town without a permit first approved by the Director of Community Development [1]. The director acts on the application as a ministerial permit, without notice, discretionary review or a public hearing [2]. To grant it, the director must find the use will comply with the chicken keeping standards adopted by town council resolution [3]. Those standards (likely covering the number of hens, roosters, coop setbacks and sanitation) are a separate document we did not have, so ask Planning for a copy before you apply.
If your coop needs site plan and architectural review or a building permit, you must get those before you start keeping chickens [4]. The residential use table lists agriculture as needing a conditional use permit, but it carves out chicken keeping and beekeeping under this section.
Other birds and animals
The animal chapter defines "poultry" as any chicken, rooster, turkey, duck, goose or other domesticated bird associated with egg or meat production, and requires a conditional use permit to keep poultry except as the zoning code provides for chickens [5]. So ducks, geese and turkeys need a conditional use permit. Whether roosters fall under the chicken permit depends on the council standards. Large animals (any cow, goat, sheep, pig, llama or horse) also need a conditional use permit [6].
Keeping the permit
A chicken keeping permit expires if the use never starts within two years [7]. The director keeps a record of permits and every two years the owner must certify in writing that the flock still complies. Complaints must be in writing, and the director can revoke a permit after notice and a hearing for violating the standards, abandonment for two years, or a declared nuisance. The town's animal noise rule also bars letting fowl habitually create noise that unreasonably disturbs neighbors.
See how Tiburon compares with 8+ other California towns on backyard chickens →
Next steps
- Ask the Planning Division (Community Development, 1505 Tiburon Boulevard, 415-435-7390) for the council-adopted chicken keeping standards and the permit application.
- Plan your coop location and flock size to meet those standards; check whether the coop needs site plan and architectural review or a building permit.
- Submit the chicken keeping permit application with the fee and get approval before bringing chickens home.
- For ducks, geese, turkeys or other poultry, apply for a conditional use permit instead.
Common questions
- Can I keep chickens in Tiburon, California?
- Yes, with a chicken keeping permit from the Community Development Director. The permit is ministerial, with no hearing.
- How many chickens can I have in Tiburon, California?
- Your flock must meet the town council's adopted chicken keeping standards, which set rules such as numbers and coop placement. Those details are not in the code text we reviewed.
- Can I keep roosters or ducks in Tiburon, California?
- It depends: other poultry such as ducks, turkeys and roosters need a conditional use permit.
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. 16-40.070(A), Municipal Code Ch. 16 Sec. 16-40 Standards for Specific Land Uses (16-40.042 Vacation rentals prohibited; 16-40.070 Chickens and honey bees), p. 1
It is unlawful to keep, possess, or maintain chickens or honey bee hives on any lot or parcel of land located in the town unless a permit has first been approved by the director of community development.
- Sec. 16-40.070(C), Municipal Code Ch. 16 Sec. 16-40 Standards for Specific Land Uses (16-40.042 Vacation rentals prohibited; 16-40.070 Chickens and honey bees), p. 1
Applications for beekeeping and/or chicken keeping permit shall be acted upon by the director as a ministerial permit without notice, discretionary review, or a public hearing.
- Sec. 16-40.070(D), Municipal Code Ch. 16 Sec. 16-40 Standards for Specific Land Uses (16-40.042 Vacation rentals prohibited; 16-40.070 Chickens and honey bees), p. 1
In order to grant a beekeeping or chicken keeping permit, the director shall find that the use would comply with all of the standards set forth in the standards for beekeeping or the standards for chicken keeping, whichever is applicable, as adopted by resolution of the town council.
- Sec. 16-40.070(E), Municipal Code Ch. 16 Sec. 16-40 Standards for Specific Land Uses (16-40.042 Vacation rentals prohibited; 16-40.070 Chickens and honey bees), p. 1
Any required site plan and architectural review and/or building permits associated with a beekeeping or chicken keeping use shall be obtained prior to commencement of the use.
- Sec. 20-1.003, Municipal Code Ch. 20 Animals (20-1.003 Use permit required - Poultry), p. 1
The keeping of poultry shall require a conditional use permit pursuant to title IV, chapter 16 of the Code, except as may otherwise be provided therein for the keeping of chickens.
- Sec. 20-1.004, Municipal Code Ch. 20 Animals (20-1.003 Use permit required - Poultry), p. 1
The keeping of any large animal on a lot or premises shall require a conditional use permit pursuant to title IV, chapter 16, of the Code.
- Sec. 16-40.070(G), Municipal Code Ch. 16 Sec. 16-40 Standards for Specific Land Uses (16-40.042 Vacation rentals prohibited; 16-40.070 Chickens and honey bees), p. 1
A beekeeping or chicken keeping permit issued in compliance with this section shall expire and become null and void two years after issuance if the use has never commenced.