Posted by Naomi, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Oct 24, 2012 at 8:27 pm

What if any rules are there about keeping poultry in our yards? Is there a limit to how many we can have, I think its a great idea.

Posted by pets not meat, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Oct 25, 2012 at 10:42 am

Hi Naomi:

Palo Alto requires you to have a permit for your coop. You can have up to 6 hens, and no roosters. If your coop will be within 25 feet of any other property lines, then you have to have the written consent of your neighbors whose property is within that 25 foot mark. For more info contact animal control. You have to submit an application and fee, as well as a plan showing where your coop is located on your property and the distance to the neighbors' lots. Then animal control will come and inspect to ensure it meets those criteria and issue the permit.

Hope this helps. Chickens make great pets for kids, make excellent compost materials, and they give us great eggs too. Since getting chickens we have been composting and have a much improved garden as well as having kept nearly 1 ton of waste out of landfill.