Backyard Chickens in San Buenaventura, California

Can you keep chickens in San Buenaventura?

Thinking about backyard hens in San Buenaventura (Ventura), California? Unlike many California cities, Ventura treats chickens as "livestock," meaning a permit is required and personal, unpermitted backyard flocks fall into a legal gray area. Here's exactly what the municipal code requires before you build that coop.

Yes – with conditions

Yes, but keeping chickens in San Buenaventura (Ventura), California is tightly restricted and is not a simple, no-permit backyard activity. Under the Zoning Regulations, chickens are legally classified as "livestock animals" (§ 24.110.090), not "domestic animals" (§ 24.110.080 expressly excludes livestock) — so the general allowance of up to six pets per dwelling unit does NOT apply to hens.

In the R-1 Single-Family Zone (the city's standard single-family residential zone), fowl may only be kept under one of two limited pathways (§ 24.210.050):

4-H / group-sponsored projects – rabbits, sheep, goats, and fowl (other than roosters) may be raised only as an incidental use with an approved Director's Permit, a signed neighbor consent form (or a public hearing if a neighbor objects), and a hard cap of four total livestock animals (including fowl) per lot; or
Commercial Animal Husbandry – raising fowl (not roosters) for sale, which requires a Use Permit (§ 24.210.030(C)) and a lot of at least one acre, with a maximum of four total livestock animals per site regardless of acreage.

In practice, the city has issued individual chicken-keeping permits (a Director's Permit) that authorize hens only, prohibit roosters, and require the coop to be located outside the front yard and be predator-resistant. Roosters are prohibited under every pathway in the code.

Read the ordinance ↗

The rules at a glance

Hens in city limits: Allowed
How many hens: 4
Roosters: No
Permit required: Yes
Setback from property line: 35 ft.

Peggy knows San Buenaventura

The rules, straight from the municipal code.

Because fowl are classified as "livestock animals" rather than ordinary pets, keeping them requires either a Director's Permit (4-H/group-sponsored keeping) or a Use Permit (commercial Animal Husbandry) (§§ 24.210.030, 24.210.050(K)-(L)).

Setback: No fowl may be housed, stabled, lodged, or confined within 35 feet of any dwelling unit or other building used for human habitation, other than the dwelling on the applicant's own site, and no closer than 100 feet to any public park, school, hospital, or similar institution (§ 24.210.050(L)(5), (K)(3)).
Number: No more than a total of four livestock animals, including fowl, may be kept on any one lot under the group-sponsored/4-H pathway (§ 24.210.050(K)(2)); commercial Animal Husbandry allows two adult animals per acre, capped at four total per site regardless of size (§ 24.210.050(L)(3)-(4)).
Roosters: Expressly excluded from every pathway – only fowl "other than roosters" may be kept (§ 24.210.050(K), (L)).
Lot size: Commercial Animal Husbandry involving fowl requires a lot of at least one acre (§ 24.210.050(L)(2)).
Permit process: Group-sponsored/4-H keeping requires filing an application, fee, and neighbor consent form; if any abutting neighbor refuses to sign, a public hearing is required before the Director acts (§ 24.210.050(K)(5)-(6)). Actual permits issued by the city have limited chickens to hens only, required the coop to sit outside the front yard, and required it to be covered and predator-resistant.

Where this comes from

Keeping a flock happy in San Buenaventura

🌡️ Climate

Mediterranean / Coastal Southern California (USDA Zone 10b)

Ventura enjoys a mild, coastal Mediterranean climate with cool, damp winters and warm, dry, breezy summers moderated by ocean influence. Chickens rarely face freezing temperatures, so cold-weather protection is a low priority, but coastal fog, salt air, and coop ventilation to manage humidity are worth planning for.

🦝 Who's after your hens

RaccoonHawkCoyoteOpossumSkunk

Ventura's mix of hillside open space, riparian corridors, and urban-wildland edges supports populations of raccoons, coyotes, opossums, skunks, and hawks, all of which can threaten unprotected flocks. Fully enclosed, predator-resistant coops and runs (required by the city for permitted flocks) are essential.

🐔 Breeds that do well here

Leghorn, Australorp, Orpington, Easter Egger, Plymouth Rock

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

Questions people ask about San Buenaventura

▸Can I just keep a couple of hens in my backyard for eggs without a permit?

Not under the letter of the zoning code. Because chickens are defined as "livestock animals" (§ 24.110.090) rather than ordinary pets, they don't qualify for the six-pets-per-household allowance available for domestic animals. Keeping fowl legally requires either a Director's Permit for a 4-H/group-sponsored project or a Use Permit for commercial Animal Husbandry on a one-acre-plus lot (§ 24.210.050).

▸Are roosters allowed anywhere in the city?

No. Every pathway that permits fowl in the R-1 zone explicitly excludes roosters (§ 24.210.050(K) and (L)).

▸How many chickens can I have?

Under the 4-H/group-sponsored project pathway, no more than four total livestock animals (including any fowl) may be kept on one lot. Under commercial Animal Husbandry, the limit is two adult animals per acre, capped at four total per site regardless of lot size (§ 24.210.050(K)-(L)).

▸How far must a chicken coop be from my neighbor's house?

Fowl may not be housed within 35 feet of any dwelling unit or building used for human habitation other than the applicant's own home, and must be at least 100 feet from any public park, school, or hospital (§ 24.210.050(L)(5)).

▸What does the permit process involve?

For a 4-H/group-sponsored project, you must file an application with fees and a signed neighbor consent form; if any adjoining neighbor won't sign, the city must hold a public hearing before deciding (§ 24.210.050(K)(5)-(6)). Commercial keeping requires a Use Permit under Chapter 24.520.

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