Backyard hens & livestock — Houston, British Columbia

Can I keep chickens, bees, or livestock on my property?

In the District Municipality of Houston, British Columbia, hens permitted: True; max hens: eight (8); roosters prohibited: True; livestock rule: Farm animals only on A1 or A2 zones; chickens permitted in R1/R2. ALR parcels exempt.. Source: Development Bylaw No. 1040, 2013 (Consolidated Jan 2025), verified 2026-08-28.

Development Bylaw No. 1040, 2013 (Consolidated Jan 2025) adopted bylaw
hens permitted True s. 5.25(2)
max hens eight (8) s. 5.25(2)(a)
roosters prohibited True s. 5.25(2)(c)
livestock rule Farm animals only on A1 or A2 zones; chickens permitted in R1/R2. ALR parcels exempt. s. 5.25(1), 5.25(2)
setback 4.5 metres (15 ft) of a lot line s. 5.25(3)
scout note

Chickens permitted in R1 and R2 zones: max 8 hens (no roosters) per property, kept for personal use only (no sale of eggs/meat/manure), housed in an accessory structure, not slaughtered on-site. Appendix 3 gives chicken-keeping guidelines.

Machine-readable: backyard-hens.json · Official website: https://www.houston.ca/ · Last verified 2026-08-28 · Backyard hens & livestock in other municipalities