Backyard Chicken License
A Backyard Chicken License is required to have backyard chickens in Lafayette. The license fee is $30.00. See the regulations below.
An application is available here or at the Community Development Department at City Hall. If you have any questions, please contact Jon Hoffman at 303-665-5506 ext. 3378.
Municipal Code Backyard Chicken Regulations:
Sec. 25-99 Backyard Chickens.
It shall be unlawful to place or maintain backyard chickens in any area unless the following conditions and requirements are met:
a. Backyard chickens are an accessory use in conjunction with an established residential use. Refer to Table 26A - Permitted Uses in Chapter 26 of the Lafayette Code of Ordinances for a list of the zoning districts where backyard chickens are allowed.
b. A Backyard Chicken License must be approved by the Community Development Department. A $30 non-refundable application fee shall be submitted with the Backyard Chicken License Application.
c. No more than six (6) backyard chickens are permitted per dwelling unit.
d. Roosters are prohibited.
e. Other poultry or fowl are prohibited. No person may own or keep any other fowl, including, but not limited to, ducks, quail, geese, pigeons or turkeys.
f. Backyard chickens are required to be located within a designated chicken coop and chicken run that shall meet the following requirements:
i. The chicken coop and chicken run shall be located in the rear or backyard of a residential property.
ii. Neither the coop nor run, nor any part thereof, shall be located between the rear of the principal structure and the front yard lot line.
iii. The coop shall have a minimum five (5) feet setback from any side or rear property line, except as permitted in 25-99(f)(xii).
iv. Coops shall be predator resistant with a solid covered roof.
v. Water shall be provided onsite and accessible to chickens at all times.
vi. During daylight hours, the chickens shall have access to a chicken run that is adequately fenced and protected from predators and shall also have access to a chicken coop.
vii. From dusk until dawn, chickens shall be protected from predators by being enclosed within a chicken coop.
viii. The maximum chicken coop size is 100 square feet, except as permitted in 25-99(f)(xii).
ix. A minimum of four (4) square feet of space per chicken shall be provided in both the coop and the run.
x. The maximum height of a coop shall be no more than seven (7) feet at the highest point of the roof, except as permitted in 25-99(f)(xii).
xi. No chickens, coop or run shall be located in common areas of a multi-unit, multi-use, or multi-family property.
xii. Existing structures on a property as of February 26, 2010 that do not meet the setback requirement in Code Section 25-99(f)(iii), exceed the maximum size requirement in Code Section 25-99(f)(viii), or exceed the maximum height in Code Section 25-99(f)(x) may be used as a chicken coop as long as the structure is located in the rear yard of the property and if said structure is approved as part of the Backyard Chicken License.
g. Chicken coops and chicken runs shall be maintained and shall be regularly cleaned to control dust, odor, and waste and not constitute a nuisance, safety hazard or health problem to surrounding properties.
h. No on-site slaughtering is allowed.
i. Chicken feed shall be stored in a resealable, airtight, predator-proof container.
j. Chicken waste shall only be stored in resealable, airtight, predator-proof container.
k. Many home owner association bylaws do not allow poultry of any kind. The City of Lafayette encourages residents to research their individual home owner association regulations.
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