Backyard chickens in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Yes. As of July 29, 2025, the Chattanooga City Council passed a new ordinance amending City Code Chapter 7 (Sections 7-107 and 7-145) to legalize backyard hens on standard residential lots for the first time. Previously, keeping chickens in the city was restricted to agriculturally-zoned property or lots of five acres or more. Under the new law, residents who have less than two acres can now own up to eight hens, and the ordinance allows for up to eight laying hens for any single family residential lot or other residential zones within the city. Only female laying hens may be kept — residents are unable to own roosters under the new rules, and keeping roosters and other fowl, hatching chicks, and selling chicken products in a residential zone remain banned. Roosters (and unlimited flocks) are still permitted only on A-1 agricultural-zoned land. Notably, Councilman Chip Henderson, the ordinance's sponsor, has said there wouldn't be a permit system for backyard hens — the rules are enforced through inspections and complaint response by the city's Animal Services provider and Land Development Office rather than an upfront permitting process. The ordinance also requires hens to be kept in a fenced enclosure in the rear yard at all times, with a covered, predator-resistant henhouse. Eggs may only be used for personal consumption — commercial sale is prohibited, and private HOA/subdivision covenants that ban chickens still override the city ordinance.

Chattanooga sits in the southern Great Valley of East Tennessee and falls in USDA Hardiness Zone 7b, with hot, humid summers and mild-to-cool winters. Summer highs commonly reach the high 80s to low 90s°F with high humidity, while winters bring occasional freezes and light snow. This climate calls for coops with strong summer ventilation/shade plus wind protection and dry bedding for the wetter winter months.

With Tennessee's hot, humid summers, common predators like hawks and raccoons make secure, ventilated coops essential for Chattanooga flocks. Raccoons are strong and can reach through standard chicken wire, so hardware cloth and locking latches are recommended, while red-tailed and Cooper's hawks pose the main daytime aerial threat — a covered run helps deter them. Foxes, coyotes, opossums, and snakes (including rat snakes) are also present in the region and are a key reason Chattanooga's ordinance requires a fully enclosed, predator-resistant henhouse that is locked nightly.