You generally cannot have chickens in Philadelphia. The city classifies chickens as farm animals and bans keeping them on standard residential property, and that has been the rule since 2004. The only realistic path to legal backyard hens is owning a lot of three acres or more, which almost no one in the city does.
What the Code Prohibits
Philadelphia Code §10-112 prohibits keeping any farm animal except in a short list of specific situations. The definition of “farm animal” includes chickens alongside ducks, geese, turkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, and cows.1The Philadelphia Code. Philadelphia Code 10-112 – Keeping Farm Animals The ban does not distinguish between hens and roosters. There is no small-flock allowance, no six-bird limit that makes a coop legal, and no residential permit you can apply for. It is a flat prohibition.
The zoning code includes an “Animal Husbandry” subcategory under urban agriculture, but it defers to §10-112, so zoning does not create an independent right to keep chickens.2The Philadelphia Code. Philadelphia Code 14-601(11) – Urban Agricultural Use Category
The Narrow Exceptions
Farm animals are permitted in a handful of circumstances, most of which have nothing to do with a household wanting fresh eggs:
- Licensed slaughterhouses and live-animal retailers selling animals for food
- Animals purchased for slaughter and held no more than 24 hours
- Zoological parks
- Veterinary hospitals and clinics
- Animal shelters
- Circuses and licensed entertainment venues
- Schools, laboratories, and other educational or scientific facilities
- Properties of three acres or more (pigs are banned regardless of lot size)
The three-acre threshold is the only exception a private resident could use, and it rules out essentially everyone. Most residential lots in Philadelphia are a fraction of an acre, and three-acre parcels within city limits are rare.
What Happens If You Keep Chickens Anyway
A first violation of §10-112 carries a fine between $150 and $300. Each repeat violation is treated as a separate offense punishable by a fine of up to $300, up to 90 days in jail, or both. A second offense counts as a repeat even if the first citation hasn’t been adjudicated yet, so penalties can stack quickly.3The Philadelphia Code. Philadelphia Code 10-115 – Penalties and Sanctions
Enforcement is handled by Philadelphia’s Animal Care and Control Team (ACCT), which investigates complaints and issues warnings or citations.4ACCT Philly. Animal Ordinance Complaints The Department of Licenses and Inspections can also act on code violations tied to structures and land use, including unauthorized coops.5City of Philadelphia. Department of Licenses and Inspections Violation and Order Types
In practice, enforcement is complaint-driven. Plenty of Philadelphia residents keep chickens quietly and never hear from the city, and some longtime flock owners report that L&I rarely gets involved absent a complaint. The catch is that one annoyed neighbor is all it takes. Once a complaint is filed, the law is clear, and the outcome can include fines, escalating repeat-offense penalties, and an order to remove the birds.
Will the Law Change?
City Council has considered legalizing backyard hens before. Bills were introduced in 2019 and again in 2022, and neither passed. Advocates have pushed for another attempt, and urban agriculture groups continue to press the issue. As of early 2026, nothing new has been enacted. If an ordinance eventually passes, it would likely come with restrictions on flock size, coop placement, and roosters, consistent with how other large cities have handled the question.
Selling Eggs Is a Separate Question
If you do qualify under the three-acre exception, selling your eggs brings in a separate layer of rules. The FDA’s Egg Safety Rule applies to producers with 3,000 or more laying hens, so a backyard flock sits below that federal threshold.6U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Egg Safety Final Rule Pennsylvania has its own egg handling and labeling requirements for sales, and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is the right place to check before putting eggs out at a farmstand or market. Giving eggs away to friends and neighbors sidesteps most of that.
The Short Version
On a typical Philadelphia lot, chickens are off-limits. The code allows no small-flock exception, and the three-acre rule leaves almost no residential property eligible. People do keep birds in violation of the ordinance without consequences, but a single complaint can turn into real fines and a forced removal. If you want the law to change, following and supporting a future amendment to §10-112 is the route.