Idaho Backyard Chicken Laws: Permits by County and City
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Overview of Idaho Chicken Laws
How Many Chickens Can You Have in Idaho?
There is no statewide hen limit.. Nampa and Post Falls cap residential hens at 10. Coeur d’Alene allows up to 12. Twin Falls allows 4 without a permit and more with one. Caldwell allows 10 hens, or 30 per half acre if the lot qualifies as livestock. Boise allows poultry on lots of one-half acre or more. Meridian, Eagle, Idaho Falls, and Pocatello do not specify hen limit.
Are Roosters Allowed in Idaho Residential Areas?
Often no in the larger cities. Boise, Nampa, Caldwell, Coeur d’Alene, Twin Falls, and Post Falls ban roosters. Unincorporated agricultural land is usually more open. An HOA can still ban birds where the city allows them.
Idaho Major Cities Ordinances
Boise, ID
Hen Limit: Poultry allowed on lots of 1/2 acre or more | Roosters: Not Allowed | Permit: Not required | Setback: 10 ft from a neighboring home
Meridian, ID
Hen Limit: Not specified | Roosters: Allowed | Permit: Not required | Setback: Not specified
Nampa, ID
Hen Limit: Up to 10 hens | Roosters: Not Allowed | Permit: Not required | Setback: 5 ft from property lines; no front yard
Idaho Falls, ID
Hen Limit: Not specified | Roosters: Allowed | Permit: Not required | Setback: Not specified
Caldwell, ID
Hen Limit: Up to 10 hens; 30 hens per 1/2 acre | Roosters: Not Allowed | Permit: Not required | Setback: Not specified
Pocatello, ID
Hen Limit: Not specified | Roosters: Allowed | Permit: Not required | Setback: Not specified
Coeur d'Alene, ID
Hen Limit: Up to 12 hens | Roosters: Not Allowed | Permit: Not required | Setback: Not specified
Twin Falls, ID
Hen Limit: Up to 4 hens without a permit (more by permit) | Roosters: Not Allowed | Permit: Required for more than 4 hens | Setback: 40 ft from another dwelling
Post Falls, ID
Hen Limit: Up to 10 hens | Roosters: Not Allowed | Permit: Not required | Setback: 30 ft from front line; 5 ft from side and rear; 15 ft from the on-site house; 25 ft from neighboring residences
Eagle, ID
Hen Limit: Not specified | Roosters: Allowed | Permit: Not required | Setback: Not specified
Official Sources & Data Integrity
We reference Idaho municipal bylaws and ordinances from verified platforms like ecode360.com, municode.com, and local government websites at the time of publication. You can review state-level rules via the Idaho Department of Agriculture Poultry Regulations.
Note: Not specified means no specific hen limit or rule was identified in the applicable municipal sources reviewed. No publicly available ordinance means no hen, rooster, permit, or setback rule was found in the city’s published code.
⚠️ Important: Idaho ordinances may change without notice. Always verify the current rules with your local jurisdiction and any HOA before you keep chickens.
Idaho Ordinances by City & County
Ada County, ID
Garden City, ID
Garden City, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Kuna, ID
Kuna, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Star, ID
Star, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Benewah County, ID
Saint Maries, ID
Saint Maries, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Bingham County, ID
Blackfoot, ID
Blackfoot, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Shelley, ID
Shelley, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Blaine County, ID
Hailey, ID
Hailey, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Ketchum, ID
Ketchum, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Bonner County, ID
Priest River, ID
Priest River, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Sagle, ID
Sagle, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Sandpoint, ID
Sandpoint, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Boundary County, ID
Bonners Ferry, ID
Bonners Ferry, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Canyon County, ID
Middleton, ID
Middleton, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Parma, ID
Parma, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Wilder, ID
Wilder, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Cassia County, ID
Burley, ID
Burley, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Elmore County, ID
Mountain Home, ID
Mountain Home, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Franklin County, ID
Preston, ID
Preston, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Fremont County, ID
Saint Anthony, ID
Saint Anthony, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Gem County, ID
Emmett, ID
Emmett, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Gooding County, ID
Gooding, ID
Gooding, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Idaho County, ID
Grangeville, ID
Grangeville, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Jefferson County, ID
Rigby, ID
Rigby, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Jerome County, ID
Jerome, ID
Jerome, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Kootenai County, ID
Athol, ID
Athol, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Hayden, ID
Hayden, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Rathdrum, ID
Rathdrum, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Spirit Lake, ID
Spirit Lake, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Latah County, ID
Moscow, ID
Moscow, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Lemhi County, ID
Salmon, ID
Salmon, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Madison County, ID
Rexburg, ID
Rexburg, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Minidoka County, ID
Heyburn, ID
Heyburn, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Rupert, ID
Rupert, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Nez Perce County, ID
Lewiston, ID
Lewiston, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Payette County, ID
Fruitland, ID
Fruitland, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Payette, ID
Payette, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Power County, ID
American Falls, ID
American Falls, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Teton County, ID
Victor, ID
Victor, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Twin Falls County, ID
Buhl, ID
Buhl, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Filer, ID
Filer, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Kimberly, ID
Kimberly, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Valley County, ID
McCall, ID
McCall, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Washington County, ID
Weiser, ID
Weiser, ID has no publicly available ordinance data for hen limits, roosters, permits, or setbacks.
Unincorporated Areas & Rural Counties
Idaho has 44 counties and a large share of land sits outside city limits. On that land, hen numbers usually come from county zoning, not a city animal section. Agricultural zones are often open: no posted hen cap, roosters more often allowed, and no county flock license for a home flock.
A city extra-territorial zoning belt can still pull a rural parcel under city setbacks. A suburban or PUD district in the same county can be as tight as Boise or Post Falls. Check the tax map and the county planning office, not the nearest city’s hen page.
Zoning, Permits, Coops, and HOAs
A coop is an accessory structure. Height, lot coverage, and yard placement follow the zoning map even when the animal code never names a hen number. There is no statewide backyard poultry license. Nampa, Caldwell, Coeur d’Alene, Twin Falls, and Post Falls write their own hen sections. Meridian, Eagle, and Idaho Falls did not publish a hen cap in the codes we opened.
A recorded covenant can ban chickens where the city allows them. Search the deed and plat for CC&Rs before you build. Right-to-farm language does not cancel a residential HOA.
Confirm the zoning district and any building permit for a permanent coop with the city or county planning office.
Selling Backyard Eggs in Idaho
Small flocks can sell ungraded shell eggs direct to the end consumer. Idaho State Department of Agriculture treats flocks under 300 hens as exempt from the full egg-distributor path when the carton is labeled UNGRADED EGGS with the producer name, address, and phone.
Larger sellers need the ISDA egg distributor license and the mill levy. Farm-gate and farmers-market sales fit the exemption. Wholesale to a store does not. A city hen permit is not an egg license.
Idaho Poultry Slaughter Rules
Idaho does not run a separate state poultry inspection plant program. Birds you raise and process for your household, nonpaying guests, and employees follow the federal Poultry Products Inspection Act household exemption. Do not sell that meat.
Meat for sale must go through a USDA-inspected plant or a federal small-producer exemption (1,000 or 20,000 birds a year) with sanitary limits on where you can sell. Cities can still bar slaughter in a residential yard. Ask the local animal or health office before you process a bird on the lot.
Essential Guides for Backyard Chicken Success
Since Idaho rural zoning often allows for larger flocks, our scalable 4x12 coop plans provide the square footage required for healthy, happy high-desert hens. For ongoing care, view our Ultimate Backyard Chicken Coop Management Guide.