Can you have chickens in Washington County, Utah?

You can usually have chickens in Washington County, Utah, but each city writes its own rules, and the zone, lot size and HOA decide it.

All five of the main cities allow backyard hens somewhere in their residential zones. None of them treat it as automatic. Some tie the number of birds to lot size, some only allow hens in certain zones, and several have a minimum lot size below which the answer is no. Roosters are a different story, and in most neighborhoods they are not allowed at all.

Every rule below comes from the city’s own published code, checked in October 2026. Codes change, so confirm with the city before you buy a house because of a chicken coop.

The rules, city by city

City	Where hens are allowed	How many	Roosters	Coop rules
St. George	All single-family residential (R-1) zones and residential estate zones	No more than 16 animals per lot, counting hens and rabbits together	Only in residential estate zones: one per 37,500 square feet, kept at least 50 feet from any residential zone	Rear yard only; up to 8 feet tall and 200 square feet; at least 20 feet from the lot line unless there is a solid perimeter fence
Washington City	Single-family residential (R-1) zone, lots of 10,000 square feet or more	Up to 12	Not allowed in R-1	Rear yard; at least 20 feet from any neighboring residence; up to 8 feet tall and 120 square feet
Hurricane	R1-10, R1-15 and RA-.5 zones	Set by points: three points per bird, 100 points per acre, so a quarter-acre lot allows eight	Banned in R1-10 and R1-15	Not in the front yard; at least 5 feet from side and rear lot lines; at least 25 feet from a neighboring house
Ivins	Residential zones, single-family lots of 7,500 square feet or more	Five at 7,500 square feet, rising to 12 at 12,500 square feet and up	Not allowed	Rear yard; covered, predator-resistant coop up to 120 square feet and 8 feet tall; 5 feet from property lines and 20 feet from any neighboring home
Santa Clara	R-1-10 zone as a conditional use; residential agriculture (RA) zone	R-1-10: ten hens per 10,000 square feet on lots under two acres. RA: up to 20 small animals or fowl per 20,000 square feet	Not allowed in R-1-10	R-1-10: one chicken run, up to 120 square feet and 8 feet tall; birds may not roam outside it

This is mostly a question for unincorporated acreage. Winchester Hills and Dammeron Valley are both outside any city, so the county rules are the ones that apply rather than a municipal ordinance.

Sources: St. George City Code Title 10, Chapter 7, Articles A and B; Washington City Code 9-8B-2; Hurricane City Code 10-37-15; Ivins City Code 16.12.124 and 16.12.113; Santa Clara City Code 17.60.020 and 17.64.060. All checked October 2026.

St. George

St. George lists “urban hens and rabbits” as a permitted use in every single-family zone, from R-1 through R-1-40. The code caps a lot at 16 animals in total, of which no more than 10 can be rabbits. The limit is written as up to six adult hens and four adult rabbits per 1,000 square feet of lot area, so if your lot or flock is near the edge, ask the city how it applies to your specific property (St. George City Code 10-7B, checked October 2026).

The coop or pen can be up to 8 feet tall and 200 square feet, must sit in the rear yard, and must be at least 20 feet from the lot line unless the yard has a solid perimeter fence. The code also requires effective manure management.

Roosters are only provided for in the residential estate zones, the larger-lot RE districts, at one rooster per 37,500 square feet, kept at least 50 feet from any residential zone (St. George City Code 10-7A, checked October 2026).

One gap to know about: the use table for St. George’s planned development residential zone, where many newer subdivisions sit, does not list urban hens. If the house you like is in a PD-R zone, check with the city before assuming the single-family rules apply.

Washington City

In the R-1 single-family zone, Washington City allows hens for the household’s own food on lots of at least 10,000 square feet, up to 12 birds, with no roosters. The birds must be confined in a secure enclosed area with a covered, ventilated, predator-resistant coop in the rear yard, at least 20 feet from any neighboring residence (Washington City Code 9-8B-2, checked October 2026).

The residential agriculture (RA) zone permits agriculture and family food production more broadly. If you want more birds or other animals, that is the zone to look for, and the city can tell you the specific limits.

Hurricane

Hurricane uses a points system. Each full acre carries 100 animal points, smaller lots get a proportional share, and chickens, ducks, rabbits and pigeons each count three points. The code’s own example is a quarter-acre lot, which is allowed eight animals in any combination (Hurricane City Code 10-37-15, checked October 2026).

This applies in the R1-10, R1-15 and RA-.5 zones. Roosters are banned in the two R1 zones. Coops cannot sit in front yards, must be at least 5 feet from the side and rear property lines, and must be at least 25 feet from a neighboring house.

The section does not list Hurricane’s smaller-lot residential zones. If the house is in one of those, check with the city before you plan on hens.

Ivins

Ivins ties the number directly to lot size, for single-family lots only: five hens at 7,500 square feet, six at 8,000, seven at 9,000, eight at 10,000, ten at 12,000, and twelve at 12,500 square feet or more. No roosters. The coop must be covered, ventilated and predator resistant, no bigger than 120 square feet or taller than 8 feet, with at least three square feet per bird, or six if the birds have no outdoor run. It sits in the rear yard, 5 feet from property lines and 20 feet from any neighboring home, and chickens may not roam outside the pen (Ivins City Code 16.12.124, checked October 2026).

On lots of an acre or more in Ivins’ agricultural and estate zones, a separate livestock section allows up to 25 fowl per acre, with structures kept at least 100 feet from homes on adjacent lots (Ivins City Code 16.12.113, checked October 2026).

Santa Clara

Santa Clara is the most zone-dependent of the five. In the R-1-10 zone, keeping fowl is a conditional use, which means approval rather than an automatic right. Where allowed, the limit on lots under two acres is ten hens per 10,000 square feet, no roosters, one chicken run up to 120 square feet and 8 feet tall, and no roaming outside it (Santa Clara City Code 17.64.060, checked October 2026).

The R-1-4 zone’s permitted uses specifically exclude keeping domestic animals or fowl. The R-1-6 zone’s list does not mention them either way, so check with the city. The residential agriculture zone allows up to 20 small animals or fowl per 20,000 square feet of lot, with more on larger lots up to a cap of 40 (Santa Clara City Code 17.60.020, checked October 2026).

Your HOA can say no even when the city says yes

City code sets the minimum the law allows. Covenants, conditions and restrictions can be stricter, and many Washington County subdivisions have them. An HOA can ban poultry outright, limit coop placement, or require architectural approval for any structure in the yard, and the city’s permission does not override that.

I have watched buyers fall for a house with a big, private backyard and only learn after closing that the CC&Rs ban poultry. Read the CC&Rs during due diligence, search them for “poultry,” “fowl,” “livestock” and “animals,” and ask the HOA in writing if the language is unclear. Whether a Washington County home has an HOA covers how to find out and what else to look for.

How to check a specific house

Find the zone. The city’s planning department or zoning map will tell you the parcel’s zone. Do not guess from the size of the lot.
Measure the lot. Several of these rules turn on square footage. The county parcel record will have it.
Read the CC&Rs. If there is an HOA, this is often the deciding document.
Look at the yard. Most of these cities require the coop in the rear yard with setbacks from property lines or neighboring homes. A small or oddly shaped backyard can make a technically allowed coop impossible to place.
Call the city if anything is unclear. A short call to planning settles it faster than reading code.

If you want room for more than a backyard flock, horses, goats or a real garden, you are shopping for a different kind of property, and what to know before buying land in Washington County is the better starting point.

I am Kelsey Earl, a Realtor with Keller Williams South Valley, and what I tell clients is simple: tell me early if animals are part of the plan. It filters out houses that look right and are not. If you are still deciding which city fits, start here.

Note: This summarizes published city code as of October 2026 and is not legal advice. Codes, zoning and HOA rules change, and the city and your HOA are the final word on any specific property.