Backyard chickens in Idaho Falls, Idaho
Everything you need to know before you start a backyard flock in Idaho Falls – the rules, the climate and the neighbors with teeth.
Can you keep chickens in Idaho Falls?
Thinking about raising hens in Idaho Falls? The city's municipal code makes backyard chicken keeping straightforward for most residential lots – no permit needed for a modest flock – but there are specific lot-size, setback, and rooster rules you'll want to know before you build a coop.
Yes – with conditions
Yes. The City of Idaho Falls allows residents to keep backyard hens under City Code Title 5, Chapter 5, § 5-5-3(D) – "Chickens, Quail, Ducks, and Geese". A person may lawfully maintain six (6) fowl older than 12 weeks per lot of at least 5,000 square feet, with one additional bird allowed for every extra 1,250 square feet of lot area, up to a maximum of twelve (12) fowl per lot. No permit or special use permit is required for these numbers. Male fowl (roosters) may only be kept for up to 12 weeks from hatch – keeping a mature rooster within city limits is unlawful. Coops/runs must sit at least 25 feet from any neighboring dwelling.
The rules at a glance
- Hens in city limits
- Allowed
- How many hens
- 12
- Roosters
- No
- Permit required
- No
- Permit cost
- Not specified
- Setback from property line
- 25 ft.
Peggy knows Idaho Falls
The rules, straight from the municipal code.
- Base allowance: 6 fowl (chickens, quail, ducks, and/or geese in any combination) per lot of at least 5,000 sq ft.
- Scaling: +1 additional fowl for every additional 1,250 sq ft of lot area, up to an absolute cap of 12 fowl per lot.
- Chicks/young birds: Up to 25 fowl not more than 12 weeks from hatch may be kept temporarily on a 5,000+ sq ft lot if not intended for sale or commercial use.
- Roosters: Male fowl may not be kept in the City past 12 weeks of age.
- Setback: Coops and runs must be at least 25 feet from any dwelling other than the keeper's own home.
- No mixing with turkeys: A property may keep fowl (chickens/quail/ducks/geese) or domesticated turkeys, but not both at the same time; rabbits may be kept alongside either.
- Sales: Eggs may not be sold for profit unless separately allowed by the Zoning Code, and meat from backyard fowl may never be sold for pecuniary gain.
- Prohibited fowl: Peafowl, guinea fowl, emus, ostriches, and cassowaries may not be kept anywhere in the City outside the Idaho Falls Zoo.
- All animals must be kept on the owner's premises, and general nuisance/noise ordinances still apply.
Where this comes from
Keeping a flock happy in Idaho Falls
🌡️ Climate
USDA Hardiness Zone 5a/5b (High Desert/Intermountain)
Idaho Falls sits in eastern Idaho's high desert, with cold, snowy winters (often well below 0°F) and hot, dry summers. Flocks need insulated, draft-free coops with supplemental heat sources or heated waterers in winter, plus shade and ventilation in summer. Wind exposure across the Snake River Plain is also a factor for coop siting.
🦝 Who's after your hens
Eastern Idaho's mix of riverside cottonwoods, agricultural land, and open desert supports healthy populations of red-tailed hawks and other raptors, red foxes, coyotes, raccoons, weasels, and skunks – all of which will readily take unprotected poultry. Secure, fully enclosed runs with hardware cloth (not chicken wire) and locked coops at night are strongly recommended.
🐔 Breeds that do well here
Plymouth Rock, Wyandotte, Buff Orpington, Australorp, Chantecler, Rhode Island Red
Our package comes with two Rhode Island Reds – hardy in heat and cold, and friendly with kids.
Questions people ask about Idaho Falls
▸How many chickens can I keep in Idaho Falls?
Under City Code § 5-5-3(D), you may keep 6 fowl (chickens, quail, ducks, or geese in any combination) on a lot of at least 5,000 sq ft, with one additional bird per extra 1,250 sq ft of lot area, up to a maximum of 12 fowl per lot.
▸Are roosters allowed in Idaho Falls?
No. Male fowl may only be kept within City limits for up to 12 weeks from hatch. Keeping a mature rooster is unlawful under § 5-5-3(D)(3).
▸Do I need a permit to keep backyard chickens in Idaho Falls?
No permit is required to keep the standard allowance of fowl under the current ordinance (as amended by Ord. 3648). Just follow the lot-size, number, and setback rules in City Code Chapter 5.
▸How far must my coop be from my neighbor's house?
The coop and/or run must be at least 25 feet from any dwelling other than your own, per § 5-5-3(D)(4).
▸Can I sell eggs or meat from my backyard flock?
Eggs cannot be sold for profit unless separately permitted by the Zoning Code, and meat from backyard fowl may never be sold for pecuniary gain under § 5-5-3(G).
City rules change, and this page is a summary rather than legal advice. Please confirm with Idaho Falls or your HOA before you order – and call us on (559) 321-7271 if you'd like a hand. Last checked September 15, 2026.
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