Chicken Laws by County in Tennessee: Zoning, Roosters, and Permits

Tennessee has no statewide law on backyard chickens, so chicken laws by county in Tennessee vary widely: Davidson County (Nashville) and Knox County (Knoxville) run formal permit programs that cap flocks at six hens and ban roosters, while many rural counties impose few restrictions beyond general nuisance rules. Which county you live in, and sometimes which zoning district within that county, decides what you can keep and how.

Start With Your County’s Zoning Map

Every parcel in Tennessee carries a zoning classification, and that classification controls whether poultry is allowed at all. Urban and suburban residential zones impose the tightest restrictions. Agricultural and rural residential zones are far more permissive.

In Davidson County, hens are permitted only in certain residential zone districts (AG, AR2a, and the RS/R districts on lots of five acres or more), plus properties within the General Services District that meet lot-size thresholds.¹ Knox County follows a similar pattern, limiting hen keeping to zones where the ordinance specifically authorizes it and requiring a permit for all participants.²

If your county’s zoning code doesn’t explicitly mention poultry, call your local planning or zoning office before you build. Silence in the code isn’t the same as permission. Homeowners in a zone that prohibits chickens can sometimes apply for a variance, which involves a fee and a public hearing where neighbors can object. Approval is discretionary.

Davidson County (Nashville) Rules

Davidson County requires a $25 annual permit issued through Metro Animal Care and Control. You submit a notarized application, a photo of your coop on the property, a copy of your ID, and (if you rent) a letter from the property owner granting permission.³ The permit expires on December 31 each year and must be renewed.¹

How many hens you can keep depends on your lot size:

Lots up to 5,009 square feet: two hens
Lots from 5,010 to 10,236 square feet: four hens
Lots of 10,237 square feet or larger: six hens

Properties zoned for agricultural use are exempt from these caps.⁴ Only female hens are allowed. Roosters are expressly prohibited.

Placement rules are specific. The enclosure must sit at least 25 feet from any residential structure other than your own home, and at least 10 feet from any property line. Hens must be kept in side or rear yards only, and the henhouse must be fully screened from the public right-of-way with opaque fencing or landscaping.¹ The henhouse must provide at least 2 square feet per bird and the outdoor run at least 6 square feet per bird.⁴ Hens must be secured inside the henhouse during non-daylight hours.

One rule catches many Nashville permit holders off guard: the hen permit expressly bans the sale of eggs and hens by permit holders.¹ Backyard chickens in Davidson County are for personal use only.

Knox County (Knoxville) Rules

Knox County also charges a $25 annual permit fee. Its application focuses heavily on coop specifications and the keeper’s agreement to maintain fencing, predator resistance, and ventilation year-round.²

The flock-size cap is six hens, regardless of lot size. Permit holders who qualify for an education exemption may keep up to nineteen hens for a period of six months within a twelve-month window. Only female hens are allowed.²

Coops require a minimum 10-foot setback from any abutting property line, and front-yard placement is banned. Space rules match Davidson’s: 2 square feet per bird inside the henhouse, 6 square feet per bird in the run. Knox adds a hard cap of 100 square feet on the total henhouse footprint.

Knox County’s construction standards are unusually detailed:

The run must be covered or at least 42 inches high; if uncovered, all hens must be wing-clipped.
The henhouse must be enclosed on all sides with a roof and lockable doors. Windows and vents must be covered with predator-resistant wire with openings smaller than one inch.
The structure must have adequate ventilation, sun access, and shade, and must resist entry by rodents, wild birds, dogs, and cats.
Walls must use the same material throughout, and the roof must have consistent covering.

Rural and Other Tennessee Counties

Rural counties like Rutherford and Wilson tend to be more lenient. Rutherford County, for instance, has no specific flock-size cap; its main restriction is a noise ordinance that applies within recorded subdivisions. Several counties use tiered systems that raise the limit as lot size grows.

Rural counties with agricultural zoning often skip the permit requirement, but that doesn’t exempt you from setback or nuisance rules that may still apply. Some counties use Unified Development Ordinances that put all land-use rules in one place; others scatter poultry provisions across animal control codes, health regulations, and zoning chapters. Check your county’s code with your exact parcel size, because a general answer is rarely a reliable one.

Roosters Are Almost Always Banned in Town

If you want hens for eggs, you don’t need a rooster, and most Tennessee counties with urban or suburban permit programs don’t allow you to have one. Davidson County and Knox County both restrict permits to female hens only.⁴²

Counties that do allow roosters typically limit them to properties with larger acreage and may impose conditions like soundproofed nighttime housing or increased setbacks from neighboring homes. Repeated noise complaints are one of the fastest ways to trigger an investigation by animal control or code enforcement. If you buy chicks sold as pullets and one turns out to be a rooster, most ordinances give you a short window to rehome or surrender the bird before you face a penalty.

Sanitation, Animal Cruelty, and Salmonella

Both Davidson and Knox counties require henhouses and enclosures to remain clean, dry, odor-free, and maintained so they don’t disturb neighboring properties through noise, smell, or pest activity.² A coop that attracts rodents or generates complaints is the surest way to lose your permit.

Tennessee’s animal cruelty statute, T.C.A. § 39-14-202, applies to poultry. Failing to provide adequate food, water, care, or shelter for an animal in your custody is a criminal offense: a Class A misdemeanor on the first offense, a Class E felony on the second.⁵ The statute covers every animal in your custody, not just dogs and cats.

On the health side, backyard chickens carry salmonella even when they look healthy. The CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water after handling birds, eggs, or coop equipment, keeping chickens outside the house, wearing dedicated footwear for coop chores, collecting eggs often and refrigerating promptly, and cooking egg dishes to at least 160°F. Children are especially vulnerable, so adults should supervise handwashing and discourage kids from kissing or snuggling the birds.⁶

Selling Eggs or Meat

Tennessee repealed its state-level Egg Law in July 2020, so there are no Tennessee-specific regulations governing egg sales. Federal rules still apply, but most backyard producers fall into exemptions. Producers with fewer than 3,000 laying hens who raise the birds and pack the eggs themselves are exempt from the FDA’s shell egg safety rule (21 CFR Part 118). Producers who sell all of their eggs directly to consumers are exempt from the rule entirely, regardless of flock size.⁷

For poultry meat, federal law allows a producer who raises and slaughters their own birds to process up to 1,000 poultry per calendar year without USDA inspection, provided the meat is not sold across state lines. Containers must carry the producer’s name, address, and the statement “Exempted—P.L. 90-492.”⁸

Even where state and federal law allow small sales, your county permit may not. Davidson County’s hen permit expressly bans sales by permit holders, so a Nashville flock keeper who sells eggs to a neighbor is violating the permit regardless of what federal rules allow.

You Cannot Shoot the Hawk

Hawks, owls, and other native raptors are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Killing, capturing, or harming one is a federal offense, even if you catch it in the act of attacking your flock. There is no defense-of-livestock exception for migratory birds.

Your legal protections are limited to non-lethal deterrents: covered runs, overhead netting, reflective tape, and keeping hens in a fully enclosed coop during peak raptor activity hours. The coop construction standards your county requires double as your main legal tool for protecting the flock from the air.

Penalties for Breaking the Rules

Davidson County fines run $50 per day for each violation once the county puts you on notice.¹ An ignored setback violation costs $350 in the first week. Other counties follow a similar graduated approach: a written warning, then daily fines or citations if the problem persists.

More serious issues can lead to confiscation of the birds, mandatory coop removal, or referral to animal control. Keeping a rooster in a prohibited zone after being warned is a common trigger for escalation, as are sanitation failures.

If a violation crosses into animal welfare territory, state criminal penalties apply. A first offense under Tennessee’s cruelty statute is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to 11 months and 29 days in jail, a fine of up to $2,500, or both.⁹ A second conviction becomes a Class E felony.⁵

Check Before You Build

The most common mistake is building the coop first and checking the rules second. Reverse that order. Contact your county’s planning or zoning department and ask whether your specific parcel allows poultry. Get the answer in writing if possible. Verbal assurances from a neighbor or an online group will not defend a code violation.

If you live in a homeowners association, check your CC&Rs before you check county code. An HOA can prohibit chickens even where the county allows them, and HOA covenants are enforceable through private legal action. Davidson County’s permit application doesn’t ask about HOA restrictions, so the county will issue you a permit that your HOA can still force you to stop using.

Once you’ve confirmed the rules, build to code from the start. Retrofitting a coop that sits two feet too close to a property line or lacks the required ventilation is far more expensive than measuring carefully the first time. Keep your permit posted where inspectors can see it, maintain clean and odor-free conditions, and remember that your neighbors’ tolerance is the practical limiting factor in most backyard chicken disputes.

1
Nashville.gov / Metro Animal Care and Control. Hen Permit Requirements – Domesticated Hen Permit Rules and Regulations
2
Knox County Government. Application for Permit to Keep Domesticated Hens
3
Nashville.gov. Get or Renew Domestic Hen Permit
4
Nashville.gov. Ordinance No. BL2011-47
5
Justia Law. Tennessee Code 39-14-202 – Cruelty to Animals
6
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Backyard Poultry
7
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Small Entity Compliance Guide – Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in Shell Eggs
8
eCFR. Part 381 – Poultry Products Inspection Regulations
9
Justia Law. Tennessee Code 40-35-111 – Authorized Terms of Imprisonment and Fines for Misdemeanors and Felonies