ChickenMap · Ordinance lookup
Can I have chickens in The Woodlands, TX?
Yes, with conditions — by covenant, not law
Allowed, but with specific rules you must meet
This is a private deed restriction, not a government law.
The Woodlandsis an unincorporated community with no city government, zoning, or code-enforcement authority. This rule comes from a recorded covenant enforced by the community’s covenant administration — not a municipal ordinance. There are no city citations here; violations are pursued as covenant/legal enforcement, and state municipal protections may not apply.
These are the City of The Woodlands’s own rules, and they apply inside the city limits.
If your address is outside the city limits — a The Woodlandsmailing 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 The Woodlands— see the section below. Check your parcel’s jurisdiction to know which of the two applies to you.
Inside The Woodlands city limits — residential zoning
Outside the city limits? See the unincorporated county land surrounding The Woodlands ↓
- Hen limit
- 3 hens
- Roosters
- Not allowed
- Permit
- Required
- Setback
- 10 ft
Coop rules: Max 3 chickens (chickens are not a 'customary household pet' here), no roosters. Animal house ≤7 ft tall, ≤40 sq ft; run ≤100 sq ft; 10 ft setback from perimeter fences/shared property lines; must be screened by solid fencing. Plan Review Committee approval required.
This is a private deed restriction, not a government ordinance. The Woodlands is an unincorporated master-planned community — it has no city government, zoning, or building-code authority. The 3-hens/no-roosters rule comes from The Woodlands Residential Development Standards, a recorded covenant enforced by the Township's Covenant Administration Department through legal/covenant enforcement (not municipal citations). Private covenants are enforceable regardless of what any city or state rule would allow, so the 3-hen limit stands on its own.
Keeping a rooster here? The Woodlands does not allow them inside the city limits, so if you are within them, a complaint is usually all it takes to start a clock. Posting him is free, and there is no sign-up form — you confirm the post by email, and that link sets up a free account so you can edit or remove it later.
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 The Woodlands
Different jurisdiction — the unincorporated county land surrounding The Woodlands, not the City of The Woodlands. This applies only if your property is outside The Woodlands city limits. A mailing address in The Woodlands 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 The Woodlands, TX
C. LAKE CREEK CHICKS & BEES FARM
Montgomery, TX, 77356
Raises:
F. TUMBLEWEED CHICKENDOM
Highlands, TX, 77562
Raises: