ChickenMap · Ordinance lookup
Can I have chickens in Fort Worth, TX?
Yes, with conditions
Allowed, but with specific rules you must meet
These are the City of Fort Worth’s own rules, and they apply inside the city limits.
If your address is outside the city limits — a Fort Worthmailing address on unincorporated county land is common — your county’s code governs instead, and it may reach a different answer, particularly about roosters. We have researched the unincorporated county land surrounding Fort Worth— see the section below. Check your parcel’s jurisdiction to know which of the two applies to you.
Inside Fort Worth city limits — residential zoning
Outside the city limits? See the unincorporated county land surrounding Fort Worth ↓
- Hen limit
- Acreage-tiered↓ see table below
- Roosters
- Allowed
- Permit
- Not required
- Setback
- 50 ft
Bird limits here are tiered by acreage, not a flat cap:
| Acreage | Max poultry |
|---|---|
| ≤ ½ acre | 12 fowl (max 2 roosters) |
| > ½ to < 1 acre | 25 fowl |
| > 1 acre | 50 fowl |
Coop rules: Fowl must be penned/coopped at all times and cleaned daily. Separate 'Urban Agriculture' zoning amendments allow urban farms/community gardens in all districts including residential.
Noise nuisance clause: any crow or sound lasting 10+ minutes is a violation regardless of the acreage tier. Texas has no statewide hen-count guarantee, so Fort Worth's acreage tiers are the operative limits.
This is general information compiled from public ordinances, not legal advice. Rules change — confirm with the source and your local authority before keeping birds.
Outside the city limits — the unincorporated county land surrounding Fort Worth
Different jurisdiction — the unincorporated county land surrounding Fort Worth, not the City of Fort Worth. This applies only if your property is outside Fort Worth city limits. A mailing address in Fort Worth does not settle that — the city and the county boundary are different lines. Confirm your parcel’s jurisdiction before relying on it.
Texas counties have no general power to zone. A county may regulate only what the Legislature has specifically allowed it to regulate, and backyard poultry is not on that list — so outside a city's limits there is usually no county rule capping how many birds you may keep, and no county rule about roosters specifically. That is an absence of authority rather than a permission, and three other things can still reach you. A public nuisance can be abated in the unincorporated area, which is the provision most likely to apply to a crowing rooster, and it bites hardest near a platted subdivision or within 300 feet of one. A city can extend some regulation into the land just outside its limits. And a deed restriction or HOA covenant binds regardless of what any government allows. Confirm with your county before relying on this — several counties do hold narrower powers the Legislature granted them individually.
Check your HOA before you buy a single chick.
Even where local ordinance allows backyard chickens, a homeowners association or deed restriction can prohibit them entirely — and HOA rules override a city’s “yes.” Read your HOA’s covenants (CC&Rs) in addition to the city/county rules on this page.
Poultry sellers near Fort Worth, TX
A. THE DUNHAM FARM
Burleson, TX, 76028
Raises:
B. HALBERT FARM
Burleson, TX, 76028
Raises:
C. REBEL'S FLYING FEATHERS
Springtown, TX, 76082
Raises:
D. WISE COUNTY CHICKEN FARM
Paradise, TX, 76073
Raises:
E. SILVER SPRINGS WATERFOWL
Springtown, TX, 76082
Raises:
F. 3R LIVESTOCK & FOWL
Poolville, TX, 76487
Raises: