Earlier editions: 2026-09
Long Beach Municipal Code Ch. 6.20 Fowl, Rabbits and Goats
Long Beach Municipal Code · 2026-10 edition · updated 2026-10-04 · Long Beach
Cite as: Long Beach Municipal Code Chapter 6.20 · Text as of 2026-10-04
Footnotes:
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Editor's note— ORD-15-0017, § 2, adopted July 14, 2015, amended Ch. 6.20 in its entirety to read as herein set out. Former Ch. 6.20, §§ 6.20.010—6.20.170, pertained to similar subject matter, and derived from: Prior code §§ 5620—5620.17, Ord. C-5755 §§ 1, 2, 1981; and Ord. C-7781, § 1, 2001.
6.20.010 - Definitions.¶
The following words, as used in this Chapter, shall have the signification attached to them in this Section, unless otherwise clearly apparent from the context:
A. "Coop" means and includes any pen, coop or enclosure wherein live fowl are kept and maintained.
B. "Crowing fowl" means and includes any male fowl capable of making a sound peculiar to its species or type.
C. "Dwelling" means and includes any place of human habitation.
D. "Fowl" means and includes male and female chicken, duck, goose, seafowl, peacock, turkey and pheasant.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.020 - Fowl—Number restricted.¶
No person shall keep or maintain more than a total of twenty (20) live fowl or any combination of such animals on any lot or parcel of land within the City.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.030 - Fowl—Distance from dwelling.¶
A. Except as provided in Subsection 6.20.030.B and subject to Section 6.20.140 for the keeping of live chickens, no person shall keep or maintain any live fowl within the City less than fifty feet (50') from any other person's single-family or two-family dwelling or less than one hundred feet (100') from any hotel or dwelling occupied by, or designed for the occupancy of three (3) or more families.
B. One (1) live fowl may be kept or maintained as a pet on any lot or parcel of land within the City, provided that the pen, coop or other such enclosure for any such pet fowl shall be no less than twenty feet (20') from any other person's structure designed or used as a dwelling.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.040 - Crowing fowl prohibited.¶
No person shall keep or maintain or cause to be kept or maintained any crowing fowl.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.050 - Fowl—Dealers exempt.¶
Nothing contained in this Chapter shall be deemed to prohibit the keeping of fowl by regularly licensed dealers for the purpose of sale at their respective places of business. Such animals shall be kept and maintained in a clean and sanitary condition and such dealers shall conform to and abide by the rules and regulations of the Health Department with reference to the keeping of such animals on the premises of such dealers.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.060 - Fowl—Enclosure sanitation.¶
Wherever live fowl are permitted to be kept or maintained in the City, no person, so keeping or maintaining such fowl, shall fail at any time to keep the coops, pens or yards wherein such fowl are enclosed in a clean and sanitary condition nor shall fail to remove the manure or other debris from such enclosures daily. No person shall fail to conform to and abide by the rules and regulations of the Health Department with reference to the keeping of such fowl in such enclosures.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.070 - Fowl—Running at large and keeping in front yard prohibited.¶
A. No person shall allow any fowl owned or controlled by such person to run at large.
B. No person shall allow any fowl, enclosure or related structure owned or controlled by such person to be placed or kept in the front yard of the property.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.080 - Fowl—Impoundment—Food and water.¶
No person shall impound any live fowl unless provision is made by such person for the proper feeding and the furnishing of water to such fowl at intervals not longer than twelve (12) hours apart.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.090 - Fowl—Impoundment—Coop size.¶
No person shall impound any live fowl in a coop which is less than twice as large in floor space or standing room as the total size of all live fowl which may be impounded therein, and which is not sufficiently high as to permit each fowl impounded therein to stand in a natural erect position.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.100 - Fowl—Wing locking prohibited.¶
No person handling live fowl shall lock the wings of such fowl.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.110 - Fowl and rabbits—Artificial coloring prohibited.¶
A. No person, by means of any application to or upon the exterior portion thereof or in any other manner, shall dye, artificially color or alter or otherwise change the natural color of any live rabbit or fowl.
B. No person shall sell, offer or display for sale, barter or give to any person any live rabbit or live fowl, the natural color of which animal has been changed by dyeing, coloring, or any other artificial manner.
C. No person shall sell, offer for sale, barter or give away any chick, duckling, or other fowl under four (4) weeks of age, or rabbit under two (2) months of age, as pets, toys, premiums or novelties.
D. This Section shall not be construed to prohibit the display or sale of rabbits, chicks, ducklings or other fowl in proper facilities by dealers, hatcheries or stores engaged in the business of selling the same to be raised for food purposes.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.120 - Chickens—Permit required.¶
A. No person shall have, keep, maintain, or have in possession or under control, on residential property within the City, five (5) or more live chickens without first applying to and receiving from the Animal Care Services Bureau a permit to do so. Permits issued under this Section shall be subject to a pre-inspection requirement.
B. The Director is invested with the authority to issue permits for the keeping or maintaining of live chickens to any person when, in the opinion of the Director, such chickens may be kept or maintained without menacing the safety of any person or property; provided, however, that the Director may issue additional rules and regulations regulating the keeping or maintaining of such chickens, and may deny, suspend, revoke or deny renewal thereof, any such permit for the violation of this Chapter, or any other provisions of the Long Beach Municipal Code, or any of the rules and regulations issued by the Director, or when, in his or her opinion, the safety of any person or property is menaced by the keeping of any such chickens.
C. All permits issued under this Section shall be for a period not to exceed one (1) year in duration. The Director shall automatically renew such permits every year if the Director determines that the permit holder complied with the provisions of this Chapter and applicable laws during the preceding permit term, and if the permit holder pays the annual fee as prescribed by City Council resolution.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.130 - Chickens—Enclosure and shelter.¶
A. Adequate enclosure or fencing must be provided to contain live chickens on the property to prevent escape. The enclosure must be a minimum size of ten (10) square feet of permeable land per chicken.
B. Adequate shelter must be provided to protect the chickens from the elements, and to prevent wildlife or other predators from gaining entry.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.140 - Chickens—Distance from dwelling.¶
Live chickens may be kept or maintained on residential property within the City, provided that the chickens must be kept at least a minimum distance away from any other person's dwelling, as follows:
| Number of Chickens | Minimum Distance From Any Adjacent Dwelling |
|---|---|
| 1 - 4 | 10 feet |
| 5 - 10 | 35 feet |
| 11 - 20 | 50 feet |
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.150 - Goats—Permit and microchip required.¶
A. No person shall have, keep, maintain, or have in possession or under control, on residential property within the City, any live goat without first applying to and receiving from the Animal Care Services Bureau a permit to do so.
B. The Director is invested with the authority to issue permits subject to an identifiable microchip requirement for the keeping or maintaining of live goats to any person when, in the opinion of the Director, such goats may be kept or maintained without menacing the safety of any person or property; provided, however, that the Director may issue additional rules and regulations regulating the keeping or maintaining of such goats, and may deny, suspend, revoke or deny renewal thereof, any such permit for the violation of this Chapter, or any other provisions of the Long Beach Municipal Code, or any of the rules and regulations issued by the Director, or when, in his or her opinion, the safety of any person or property is menaced by the keeping of any such goats.
C. All permits issued under this Section shall be for a period not to exceed one (1) year in duration. The Director shall automatically renew such permits every year if the Director determines that the permit holder complied with the provisions of this Chapter and applicable laws during the preceding permit term, and if the permit holder pays the annual fee as prescribed by City Council resolution.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.160 - Goats—Personal consumption only.¶
Food produced by live goats shall be for personal consumption only by members of permittee's household, and shall not be sold, donated or otherwise distributed to any other person.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.170 - Goats—Number.¶
Exactly (no more and no less than) two (2) live goats may be kept on residential property within the City, except that offspring may be kept on the property for up to six (6) months from birth.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.180 - Goats—Neutered males.¶
Male goats shall be neutered.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.190 - Goats—Distance from dwelling.¶
No person shall keep or maintain any live goat in the City within ten feet (10') of any other person's dwelling.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.200 - Goats—Enclosure and shelter.¶
A. Adequate enclosure or fencing must be provided to contain live goats on the property to prevent escape. The enclosure must be a minimum size of two hundred fifty (250) square feet of permeable land for the keeping of two (2) miniature goats (commonly known as pygmy and dwarf goats), or five hundred (500) square feet of permeable land for the keeping of any other combination of miniature and non-miniature goats.
B. Adequate shelter must be provided to protect the goats from the elements, and to prevent wildlife or other predators from gaining entry.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.210 - Rabbits or goats—Enclosure sanitation.¶
Wherever live rabbits or goats are permitted to be kept or maintained in the City, no person so keeping or maintaining such rabbits or goats shall fail at any time to keep the pens, hutches, spaces or other enclosures wherein such rabbits or goats are enclosed in a clean and sanitary condition or fail to remove the manure or other debris from such enclosures daily. No person shall fail to conform to and abide by the rules and regulations of the Health Department with reference to the keeping of such rabbits or goats in such enclosures.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
6.20.220 - Rabbits and goats—Running at large and keeping in front yard prohibited.¶
A. No person shall allow any rabbits or goats owned or controlled by such person to run at large.
B. No person shall allow any rabbits or goats, enclosure or related structure owned or controlled by such person to be placed or kept in the front yard of the property.
(ORD-15-0017, § 2, 2015)
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