§ 10.38.010. Keeping of Roosters.

A.

Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to limit the number of roosters that may be kept on a single property to reduce public nuisances, illegal cockfighting, the raising of birds used for cockfighting, and to protect the health and safety of the County's residents. For purposes of this section a single property is defined as any parcel or combination of parcels operated as one unit.

B.

Rooster Keeping Requirements.

1.

It is unlawful to keep or maintain on any single property more roosters than are listed in the following table without an animal facility license:

Size of Property	Maximum number of roosters
Less than one-half acre	2
One-half acre to one acre	4
One to five acres	6
More than five acres	10

 

2.

This section does not apply to commercial poultry ranches whose primary commodity is the production of eggs or meat for sale, and are regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service, or government-operated animal shelters or other animal welfare organizations that employ humane officers as described in Corporations Code section 14502.

3.

Each individual rooster over the number listed in the table above for the applicable size of a single property constitutes a separate violation.

4.

Nothing in this Title 10 may be construed as authorizing the keeping of roosters in violation of any other applicable law or ordinance. The construction and location of the cages or coops must not conflict with the requirements of any building code or setback line, and must be at least 50 feet from any residence other than the owner's residence.

5.

Roosters must be kept in accordance with Section 10.40.010.

C.

Rooster Animal Facility License. An animal facility license may only be issued to a person approved by the Director who complies with the following requirements:

1.

A person who seeks to keep or maintain more roosters than allowed under subsection (B)(1) above must file an application for an animal facility license, comply with the requirements of Section 10.28.050, and pay the required fee. A penalty in addition to the license fee will be charged to a person who keeps more roosters than allowed under subsection (B)(1) without an animal facility license.

2.

No more than 25 roosters may be kept or maintained on any property.

3.

Any person who seeks to keep or maintain more roosters than allowed under subsection (B)(1) above is subject to an onsite inspection of the premises by an animal control officer, humane officer, or peace officer upon demand. In addition, a person who seeks to keep or maintain more roosters than are permitted by subsection (B)(1) above as part of a local chapter of 4-H or Future Farmers of America (FFA) must meet all of the following requirements:

a.

Provide written proof of current membership in 4-H or FFA to any animal control officer, humane officer, or peace officer upon demand;

b.

Provide written documentation and approval of a 4-H or FFA project that involves the roosters to any animal control officer, humane officer, or peace officer upon demand. The approval must be from one of the following organizations: 4-H, the County 4-H Advisor, or the FFA. The documentation must state the nature of the project, the number of roosters required by the project, the breed of each rooster, the duration of the project, the purpose for keeping the roosters, and the address where the roosters are kept and maintained;

c.

The roosters on the property are designated in the 4-H or FFA project documentation; and

d.

The number of roosters on a single property does not exceed the number of roosters specified in the 4-H or FFA project documentation.

D.

Violations. Violators of this section are subject to citation under Section 10.04.075 of this Title 10, and to any other applicable penalties.

(Ord. 2018-0035 §§ 5, 6, 2018.)