Backyard chickens in Vallejo, California

Yes. Vallejo's Municipal Code (Title 16, Zoning Code, Chapter 16.306 – "Animal Keeping and Services") allows chickens, ducks, and geese to be kept as an accessory use on residential lots. Roosters, however, are expressly prohibited. Poultry must be kept in a securely fenced rear yard with a coop and pen, and the coop must be set back at least 5 feet from side or rear property lines.

Note: Several older, widely-circulated chicken-law directories (dating to roughly 2009-2015) state that Vallejo allowed up to 25 chickens with a 15-ft setback and permitted roosters subject to nuisance rules. Those figures reflect a prior version of the animal-control code and are superseded by the current zoning chapter, which bans roosters outright and does not set a specific numeric cap on hens (only a general 8-animal household total for dogs/cats/pot-bellied pigs, which poultry is kept in addition to).

Vallejo sits on the Carquinez Strait in the North Bay, giving it mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers with frequent bay breezes and fog intrusion. Temperature swings are moderate compared to inland Solano County, which is generally favorable for backyard flocks, though coop ventilation still matters during occasional summer heat spikes and damp winter stretches.

Vallejo's mix of hillside open space, creeks, and suburban backyards supports healthy populations of raccoons, opossums, and skunks, all of which are skilled at exploiting weak coop latches at night. Red-tailed hawks and other raptors are common overhead, so covered runs are recommended, and gray foxes are occasionally seen in the city's greenbelt and open-space areas bordering neighborhoods.