Backyard hens & livestock — Southgate, Ontario

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

In the Township of Southgate, Ontario, hens permitted: False; roosters prohibited: False; livestock rule: Horses, domestic fowl, cattle, bison, goats, swine, mink, sheep, mules prohibited unless property is appropriately zoned.; hens permitted: True. Source: By-law 2026-066 – Exotic Animal By-law; Zoning By-law 19-2002 – Livestock on Residential Lots (Sec. 5.22), verified 2026-08-29.

By-law 2026-066 – Exotic Animal By-law adopted bylaw
hens permitted False Schedule "A" (e): "All domestic fowl...including but not limited to chickens...except in areas identified in the Township of Southgate Zoning By-law"
roosters prohibited False Schedule "A" (e): "All domestic fowl...including but not limited to chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons, roosters and other fowl except in areas identified in the Township of Southgate Zoning By-law"
livestock rule Horses, domestic fowl, cattle, bison, goats, swine, mink, sheep, mules prohibited unless property is appropriately zoned. s. 3.2
scout note

Prohibits keeping domestic fowl (chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys) or other livestock anywhere not designated appropriately in the Township's Zoning By-law.

Zoning By-law 19-2002 – Livestock on Residential Lots (Sec. 5.22) adopted bylaw
hens permitted True s. 5.22(a)(iii): permitted livestock types include 'Fowl'
max hens 40 fowl maximum (20 fowl = 1 nutrient unit; maximum 2 nutrient units total) s. 5.22(a)(i)-(ii): 'maximum number of permitted livestock shall be a total of two (2) nutrient units'; 'twenty (20) fowl shall be considered one (1) nutrient unit'
livestock rule R6 Zone (min. 1 ha, 60m frontage): max 2 nutrient units of horses, cows, sheep, or fowl; R5 Zone: max 2 horses for resident transportation only s. 5.22(a), s. 5.22(b)
setback R5 Zone: minimum 7.5 metres from any lot line, not permitted in front yard; R6 Zone: general zone yard/setback provisions apply s. 5.22(b)(iii): 'setback a minimum of 7.5 metres from any lot line'; s. 5.22(a)(iv)
scout note

Zoning By-law s.5.22 permits limited livestock on residential lots. In the Residential R6 Zone, on a lot with a minimum area of 1 hectare and a minimum frontage of 60 metres, a maximum of two (2) nutrient units may be kept, where 20 fowl = 1 nutrient unit and 1 sheep = 1 nutrient unit; the only permitted livestock are

Machine-readable: backyard-hens.json · Official website: http://www.southgate.ca/ · Last verified 2026-08-29 · Backyard hens & livestock in other municipalities