Backyard chickens in Virginia Beach, Virginia

In the City of Virginia Beach, keeping chickens (and other fowl) is not a citywide right — it is tied directly to zoning. Under City Code Sec. 5-545, "Fowl may be kept only in those areas zoned for agricultural use," and "it shall be unlawful for any person to allow any fowl to run at large on any street or any unenclosed lot or ground within the city." The city's own Virtual Town Hall page confirms this in plain language: "Currently, the City Code allows chickens 'only in those areas zoned for agricultural use.' Areas zoned for agricultural use are located south of the Green Line, but there are also a few scattered sites in the northern part of the city. Most of the homes in the northern part of the city are zoned Residential, which does not allow agricultural uses; so, keeping chickens is not permitted there."

A related provision, City Code Sec. 5-543, reinforces the zoning-based restriction for animals generally: "No person shall keep horses, cows, goats, sheep, swine or other livestock or other animals within the city except in areas designated for agricultural purposes or parcels specially designated by the council for the keeping of such animals."

Practically, this means that if your property is zoned Agricultural (A), Rural Residential (RR), or Rural Estate (RE) — generally the area south of the city's "Green Line" — you may keep chickens. If your property is in a standard Residential (R) zoning district, which covers most of the city's suburban neighborhoods, keeping backyard chickens is not permitted, and code enforcement/animal control can and does cite violators. A Virginia Beach homeowner who kept a dozen chickens in a residential-zoned yard was cited and unsuccessfully fought the citation up to the Virginia Supreme Court.

Residents have repeatedly petitioned the City Council to open residential zones to hen-keeping, but as of the most recent city review found, no such zoning amendment has been enacted — the agricultural-zoning restriction remains in force.

Virginia Beach has mild, wet winters and hot, humid summers typical of the Hampton Roads/Coastal Virginia region. High summer humidity and heat indices mean coops need excellent cross-ventilation and shade, while damp winters call for good drainage and dry bedding to prevent frostbite and respiratory issues.

Owners on agriculturally-zoned parcels in Virginia Beach's rural southern end should be especially alert for raccoons and foxes (skilled at opening latches and digging under runs), red-tailed hawks patrolling open farmland, snakes drawn to feed and nests, and opossums that raid coops at night. Predator-proof latches, buried hardware cloth, and secure overnight housing are strongly recommended given the semi-rural setting of most legally-zoned chicken-keeping properties.