Backyard Chickens in Amarillo, Texas

Can you keep chickens in Amarillo?

Thinking about keeping a backyard flock in Amarillo? The City allows a modest number of Barnyard Fowl on residential lots, but the rules hinge heavily on your lot size and flock's male-to-female ratio. Here's what Peggy's Happy Chickens found after digging into Amarillo's actual municipal code.

Yes – with conditions

Yes, chickens are legal in Amarillo. Under City of Amarillo Code of Ordinances, Chapter 8-2 (Animals and Fowl), Sec. 8-2-5(f), it is unlawful to keep 'Barnyard Fowl' (which includes chickens, ducks, geese, peacocks, guineas, and turkeys) within city limits, except at locations zoned Industrial, Agricultural, or Heavy Commercial use, or otherwise up to four (4) Barnyard Fowl per quarter-acre may be kept at a location otherwise zoned provided that the location is not less than one-quarter acre in size. The City of Amarillo's own Animal Management & Welfare page confirms: if you have barnyard fowl, like chickens or roosters, you can keep up to 4 per quarter-acre lot.

Roosters are conditionally allowed — the code states it shall be unlawful for a chicken flock to have more than twenty-five (25) percent male birds (roosters) and flocks that consist of less than four (4) birds may not have more than one (1) rooster (Sec. 8-2-5(g)-(h)). Flock size limits do not apply to governmental entities or non-profit organizations (Sec. 8-2-5(i)).

Read the ordinance ↗

The rules at a glance

Hens in city limits: Allowed
How many hens: 4
Roosters: conditional
Permit required: No
Permit cost: Not specified
Setback from property line: Not specified

Peggy knows Amarillo

The rules, straight from the municipal code.

Flock size scales with lot size: the ordinance allows four Barnyard Fowl per quarter-acre, and no fowl at all on lots under a quarter-acre in size.
Rooster ratio: no more than 25% of a flock may be male; flocks under 4 birds may have at most 1 rooster (§ 8-2-5(g)-(h)).
Placement/nuisance rules: all domestic animals, including fowl, must be confined to the owner's premises and any shelter or cage must comply with the Building Setback Lines set by the Zoning Ordinance; no domestic animal other than a dog or cat may be kept in the Front Yard of a one- or two-family dwelling district (§ 8-2-5(c)).
Sanitation: maintaining an animal in an unsanitary environment — including failing to remove urine/feces daily to control flies and rodents — is a public nuisance under § 8-2-5(a)(3).
No numeric coop setback footage is specified in the animal code itself; it defers to the general Zoning Ordinance setback lines, so check with Amarillo Planning for your specific lot's required distance.
Governmental/non-profit exemption: the 4-per-quarter-acre flock cap does not apply to a governmental entity or non-profit organization (§ 8-2-5(i)).

Where this comes from

Keeping a flock happy in Amarillo

🌡️ Climate

USDA Hardiness Zone 6b/7a (semi-arid steppe / High Plains)

Amarillo sits high on the Texas Panhandle plains (elevation ~3,600 ft) with a semi-arid climate: hot, sometimes windy summers, cold winters with occasional single-digit temperatures and snow, and low humidity year-round. Coops should be insulated and draft-free for winter while providing good ventilation and shade for summer heat, and secured against high Panhandle winds.

🦝 Who's after your hens

RaccoonHawkCoyoteFoxSkunkSnakeOpossum

The Texas Panhandle's open plains around Amarillo support healthy populations of coyotes and foxes, along with red-tailed hawks and other raptors that hunt over open ground — both are frequent daytime threats to free-ranging flocks. Raccoons, opossums, skunks, and snakes are also common nighttime nuisance predators that can exploit weak coop latches or gaps.

🐔 Breeds that do well here

Cold-hardy, dual-purpose breeds do best given Amarillo's temperature swings: Buff Orpington, Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Australorp, Wyandotte, and Brahma.

Our package comes with two Rhode Island Reds – hardy in heat and cold, and friendly with kids.

Questions people ask about Amarillo

▸How many chickens can I keep in Amarillo?

Up to four Barnyard Fowl per quarter-acre of land, provided your lot is at least a quarter-acre in size. Lots smaller than a quarter-acre may not keep any barnyard fowl under the standard residential provision (§ 8-2-5(f)).

▸Are roosters allowed in Amarillo?

Roosters are allowed, but restricted: no more than 25% of a flock can be male, and flocks of fewer than four birds may have no more than one rooster (§ 8-2-5(g)-(h)).

▸Do I need a permit to keep chickens in Amarillo?

No permit is specified in the animal ordinance for keeping a residential backyard flock within the allowed limits. (Amarillo's code does require permits for dog/cat breeders, but not for keeping barnyard fowl.)

▸Is there a required setback distance for a chicken coop in Amarillo?

The animal ordinance doesn't list a specific footage; it simply requires that any shelter or cage comply with the Building Setback Lines in the city's Zoning Ordinance, and that fowl not be kept in the Front Yard of a residential dwelling. Check with Amarillo's Planning Department for your lot's exact required setback.

▸Can I have more than 4 fowl on a larger lot?

Yes — the ordinance is scaled per quarter-acre, so larger residential lots can support proportionally larger flocks (e.g., a half-acre lot could support 8 birds), and locations zoned Industrial, Agricultural, or Heavy Commercial are not subject to the quarter-acre cap at all (§ 8-2-5(f)).

City rules change, and this page is a summary rather than legal advice. Please confirm with Amarillo or your HOA before you order – and call us on (559) 321-7271 if you'd like a hand. Last checked September 3, 2026.