Backyard Chickens in San Francisco, California

Can you keep chickens in San Francisco?

Thinking about keeping backyard hens in San Francisco? The city's Health Code allows a small home flock, but folds chickens into a combined 4-animal household cap and requires an approved, properly set-back coop — here's what Peggy's Happy Chickens found when we read the actual ordinance.

Yes – with conditions

Yes. San Francisco's Health Code Article 1, Sec. 37 ("Keeping and Feeding of Small Animals, Poultry and Game Birds") allows residents to keep chickens in residential districts, subject to a combined household cap and a mandatory coop-distance rule.

Specifically, the code states it is unlawful to keep, in any combination, more than a total of four dogs (6+ months, unless licensed as a kennel), hares, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, gerbils, chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, doves, pigeons, game birds, or cats on a residential property (§ 37(a)). This means the '4' limit widely cited for San Francisco chickens is actually a combined small-animal cap, not 4 chickens on top of other pets.

Outdoor coops or enclosures must be approved by the Director of Public Health and, if located outside or on top of a building, must be at least 20 feet from any door or window of a building used for human habitation (§ 37(b)). Commercial keeping/breeding of poultry is separately banned in residential districts and requires a Health Department permit if conducted in commercial/industrial zones (§ 37(c)-(d)).

The ordinance's text does not separately address roosters; noise/nuisance complaints about crowing would generally be handled under the city's general nuisance and noise provisions rather than a rooster-specific ban in Sec. 37 itself.

Read the ordinance ↗

The rules at a glance

Hens in city limits: Allowed
How many hens: 4
Roosters: Not Specified
Permit required: No
Permit cost: Not specified
Setback from property line: 20 ft.

Peggy knows San Francisco

The rules, straight from the municipal code.

Combined animal cap (§ 37(a)): No more than a total of 4 small animals/poultry (in any combination of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, doves, pigeons, game birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc., plus dogs 6mo+ not licensed as a kennel, and cats) may be kept on one residential property.
Coop approval & setback (§ 37(b)): Coops/enclosures must be approved by the Director of Public Health. If the coop sits outside or on top of a building, it must be at least 20 feet from any door or window of any building used for human habitation.
No commercial keeping in residential zones (§ 37(c)): Breeding or keeping poultry 'for commercial purposes' is prohibited in residential districts entirely.
Commercial permit (§ 37(d)): In commercial/industrial districts, a Department of Public Health permit is required for commercial poultry-keeping, with detailed sanitation, ventilation, flooring, and slaughter-room standards.
Secondary local guides commonly note practical siting advice (rear-yard placement, ~5 ft from side/rear property lines) and stress keeping coops clean, dry, and rodent-proof to avoid a nuisance violation, though these specific figures are not spelled out verbatim in Sec. 37 itself.

Where this comes from

Keeping a flock happy in San Francisco

🌡️ Climate

USDA Hardiness Zone 10a/10b (Mediterranean/marine west coast climate)

San Francisco has a cool, foggy, marine-influenced climate with mild year-round temperatures — rarely freezing in winter and rarely hot in summer, especially near the coast/fog belt. Chicken keepers generally need to worry more about damp, chilly, windy conditions and summer fog than heat stress, though inland/eastern neighborhoods can get warmer summer afternoons.

🦝 Who's after your hens

RaccoonHawkOpossumSkunkCoyote

Urban and park-adjacent San Francisco neighborhoods have healthy populations of raccoons, opossums, and skunks that are skilled at exploiting weak coop latches, and red-tailed hawks and other raptors patrol backyards for free-range birds during the day. Coyotes have also become established in city parks (e.g., Golden Gate Park) and surrounding greenbelts and can be a nighttime threat to poorly secured flocks.

🐔 Breeds that do well here

Australorp, Orpington, Wyandotte, Easter Egger, Plymouth Rock — cold/damp-tolerant, calm, relatively quiet dual-purpose breeds well suited to SF's foggy, mild climate and small urban yards

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

Questions people ask about San Francisco

▸How many chickens can I legally keep in San Francisco?

San Francisco's Health Code caps chickens together with other small animals (dogs 6mo+ not in a licensed kennel, cats, rabbits, ducks, etc.) at a combined total of 4 per residential property — it isn't a standalone '4 chickens' allowance if you also keep other qualifying pets.

▸Are roosters allowed in San Francisco?

The Health Code's poultry-keeping section does not specifically call out roosters, so there is no explicit rooster ban in the ordinance itself; however, crowing that becomes a nuisance could still be addressed under the city's general nuisance/noise rules, and many local guides advise against keeping roosters in dense residential areas.

▸Do I need a permit to keep backyard chickens in San Francisco?

No standalone 'chicken permit' is described in the ordinance for small residential flocks (4 or fewer combined animals); the code instead requires that your coop/enclosure be approved by the Director of Public Health. Permits are required only for commercial poultry-keeping operations in commercial/industrial districts.

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

Under Health Code Sec. 37(b), an outdoor coop or enclosure must be at least 20 feet from any door or window of any building used for human habitation.

▸Can I sell eggs or meat from my backyard flock?

The ordinance prohibits keeping or breeding poultry 'for commercial purposes' in residential districts, so selling eggs or meat from a residential flock would need to comply with the commercial permitting and facility standards in Sec. 37(d), which are designed for commercial/industrial districts, not typical backyard coops.

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