Backyard chickens in Searcy, Arkansas

Yes, backyard chickens are legal in Searcy, Arkansas. Under the City of Searcy Code of Ordinances, Chapter 6 (Animals and Fowl), Section 6-5, keeping fowl is permitted, but the total number of fowl of any kind on a single property is capped at six (6). Keeping more than six fowl is declared a public nuisance and is unlawful (§ 6-5(a)).

The ordinance defines "fowl" broadly to include chickens, ducks, geese, guineas, turkeys, pigeons, or any other type of bird (§ 6-5(b)), and the 6-bird cap applies to the combined total of all such fowl — it is not a hens-only limit. The ordinance does not separately prohibit roosters, so roosters may be kept as part of your 6-bird total.

Property owners whose land is zoned within the Urban Transitional ('U-T') district under the Searcy Zoning Code are exempt from the 6-bird cap and may keep any number of fowl (§ 6-5(d)).

Violations are a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $100, with each day of violation constituting a separate offense (§ 6-5(c)). The ordinance does not establish a permit program or a specific numeric setback distance for coops/runs; general nuisance, sanitation, and zoning rules still apply.

Searcy sits in White County in north-central Arkansas, generally mapped as USDA hardiness zone 7b (older maps) to 8a (2023 map update), with hot, humid summers and mild, relatively short winters. Average winter lows run in the 5–15°F range on the coldest nights, so flocks need good summer shade/ventilation more than heavy winter insulation.

Central Arkansas backyard flocks commonly face raccoons and opossums raiding coops at night, aerial attacks from hawks during the day, and rat snakes or king snakes going after eggs and chicks. Foxes and coyotes are present in the rural and wooded edges around Searcy and White County and can threaten free-ranging birds, so secure, fully-enclosed runs with buried hardware cloth are recommended.