New York Backyard Chicken Laws
Backyard chicken requirements vary by municipality and zoning. Find your researched New York city or county below.
Quick legal answer
Are backyard chickens legal in New York?
Conditional — rules vary by municipality or zoning
- Hen limit
- Varies by city
- Roosters
- Varies by city; nuisance rules may also apply
- Permit
- Varies by municipality
- Setback
- Varies by municipality and zoning district
- Zoning
- Your city or county ordinance controls
Last verified: May 2026
Official source varies by municipalityOrdinances and zoning rules change. Confirm the current requirements with your municipality before buying birds or building a coop.
6
Cities allow chickens
3
Cities ban chickens
0
Conditional rules
9
Cities covered
Important: Local zoning and animal ordinances determine whether a particular property qualifies. Confirm the city or county rule that applies to your address. HOA covenants can also be more restrictive.
Easiest cities
Strictest cities
New Rochelle
New Rochelle treats farm animals, including avian species, as requiring at least 2 acres and 1 acre per animal, making ordinary backyard chickens impractical on typical city lots.
Utica
Utica Code Section 2-5-56 prohibits having, keeping, or offering to sell fowl, including live chickens, geese, ducks, pigeons, or doves.
Yonkers
Yonkers Code Section 65-23 generally prohibits keeping poultry, fowl, or other birds except for live poultry markets and limited small-bird exceptions.
Albany
Up to 6 hens. Hen enclosure must be at least 25 ft from an occupied residential dwelling on an adjoining lot unless written permission allows a reduced setback
Buffalo
Up to 5 hens. 20 ft from doors or windows of occupied structures other than the applicant's dwelling; 5 ft from side lot lines; 18 in from rear lot lines in most cases
Hudson
Up to 5 hens. Conditional use permit required before constructing enclosures, coops, or related structures on single-family residential lots
New York City
No fixed max. Live poultry markets must keep coops or runways at least 25 ft from any building; ordinary pet hens are not given a simple coop setback in the reviewed Health Code section
Rochester
Up to 30 hens. Coops and runways must be at least 25 ft from any dwelling or building used for continuous daily human occupation
Syracuse
Up to 6 hens. Coop must be in the rear yard, at least 5 ft from side or rear property lines, and at least 25 ft from any adjacent dwelling
New Rochelle
New Rochelle treats farm animals, including avian species, as requiring at least 2 acres and 1 acre per animal, making ordinary backyard chickens impractical on typical city lots.
Utica
Utica Code Section 2-5-56 prohibits having, keeping, or offering to sell fowl, including live chickens, geese, ducks, pigeons, or doves.
Yonkers
Yonkers Code Section 65-23 generally prohibits keeping poultry, fowl, or other birds except for live poultry markets and limited small-bird exceptions.
About New York Chicken Laws
Backyard chicken requirements in New York vary across cities, counties, and zoning districts. Local rules address flock size, roosters, permits, coop setbacks, sanitation, and property qualifications.
Always verify rules directly with your city clerk or planning department before purchasing birds or building a coop. Laws change — our pages include a last-verified date and link directly to the municipal code for each city.
Get Backyard Chicken Updates for New York
Join the CoopCraft newsletter for law-page updates, planning tools, and practical first-flock guidance.
No spam, ever. Unsubscribe anytime.