Backyard Chickens in Greensboro, North Carolina

Can you keep chickens in Greensboro?

Thinking about keeping hens in Greensboro? The Gate City welcomes backyard chickens on qualifying residential lots, with flock size and coop placement scaled to your lot's square footage. Here's exactly what the city's Land Development Ordinance requires before you bring home your first chicks.

Yes – with conditions

Yes, Greensboro allows backyard chickens and other poultry as an accessory use to homes in most residential zoning districts, but the number you can keep and where you can put the coop depend on your lot size (LDO § 30-8-11.3B). No special permit, approval, or registration is required to keep a legal-sized flock, though you can still be cited with a civil penalty if you violate the standards.

Read the ordinance ↗

The rules at a glance

Hens in city limits: Allowed
How many hens: 4
Roosters: No
Permit required: No
Permit cost: Not specified
Setback from property line: 25 ft.

Peggy knows Greensboro

The rules, straight from the municipal code.

Greensboro's poultry standards (LDO § 30-8-11.3B) apply in the R-3, R-5, R-7, RM-5, RM-8, RM-12, and RM-18 zoning districts and vary by lot size:

Lots under 7,000 sq ft: Poultry (and bees) are not permitted at all.
Small lots (7,000–12,000 sq ft): Coops/shelters must be set back at least 25 feet from any property line and at least 50 feet from any principal building on an abutting lot; maximum of 1 bird per 3,000 sq ft, capped at 4 birds over 6 months old.
Large lots (over 12,000 sq ft): Coops/shelters must be set back at least 50 feet from all property lines; maximum of 1 bird per 2,000 sq ft, capped at 20 birds. An alternate standard allows the setback to drop to as low as 25 feet from a property line (and no less than 50 feet from an abutting dwelling) in exchange for a lower density cap of 1 bird per 3,000 sq ft, up to 10 birds.

Across all lot sizes: no poultry may roam loose off the property (a fenced area is required), coops must be located behind the rear wall of the principal building, and no poultry that makes sounds clearly audible off-site is permitted — a provision the City's own brochure highlights with a crossed-out rooster graphic, effectively barring crowing roosters. No permit is required, but staff recommend confirming your zoning before starting a flock, since violations bring a Notice of Violation and civil penalties.

Where this comes from

Keeping a flock happy in Greensboro

🌡️ Climate

USDA Zone 8a (Humid Subtropical, Köppen Cfa)

Greensboro sits in the North Carolina Piedmont with a humid subtropical climate; average annual lows/highs run roughly 49°F to 69°F, with hot, humid summers (July highs near 88°F) and mild winters (January lows near 30°F). The growing season stretches from late March to early November, giving flock owners a long warm season but also requiring shade, ventilation, and predator-proofing during the hot, humid summer months.

🦝 Who's after your hens

RaccoonHawkFoxSnakeOpossumCoyote

Piedmont North Carolina backyards commonly attract raccoons, opossums, and rat snakes that raid coops at night, along with red-tailed hawks that hunt free-ranging birds during the day. Foxes and coyotes are also present in and around Guilford County's suburban-rural fringe, making fully enclosed, hardware-cloth-lined runs and secure nighttime coop doors important safeguards.

🐔 Breeds that do well here

Rhode Island Red, Plymouth Rock, New Hampshire, Australorp, Wyandotte, Easter Egger

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

Questions people ask about Greensboro

▸How many chickens can I keep in Greensboro?

It depends on your lot size: lots under 7,000 sq ft can't have poultry at all, lots between 7,000–12,000 sq ft may keep up to 4 birds, and lots over 12,000 sq ft may keep up to 20 birds (1 per 2,000 sq ft) under the standard rule, or up to 10 birds under an alternate setback option.

▸Are roosters allowed in Greensboro?

Effectively no. The ordinance prohibits any poultry that makes sounds clearly audible off-site, and the City's own poultry guide illustrates this rule with a crossed-out rooster, since crowing is considered a nuisance sound.

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

No. The City states that no special permit, approval, or registration is required to keep a compliant flock, though you can still receive a Notice of Violation and civil penalty if you don't follow the standards.

▸How far must my coop be from the property line?

On lots between 7,000 and 12,000 sq ft, coops must be at least 25 feet from any property line and 50 feet from a neighboring principal building. On lots over 12,000 sq ft, the standard setback is 50 feet from all property lines (or as little as 25 feet under an alternate, lower-density option).

▸Can I let my chickens free-range in my yard?

No poultry may be permitted to roam loose from the property — some type of fenced area is required for all birds, and coops/shelters must be located behind the rear wall of the main house.

City rules change, and this page is a summary rather than legal advice. Please confirm with Greensboro or your HOA before you order – and call us on (559) 321-7271 if you'd like a hand. Last checked September 7, 2026.