Chickens, bees and urban farming across the DC area
Can I keep backyard chickens or bees? The rules differ at every jurisdiction line. Here is the short answer for each.
Disclaimer: This is general information, not legal or professional advice for any one property. Codes change. SetbackIQ is not a zoning determination, a permit, or a survey, and it does not replace an architect, engineer, or lawyer. Confirm with your building and zoning offices before you build, buy, or sign a contract.
| Where | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Washington, DC | Backyard chickens are effectively unavailable on most DC lots: the coop needs a permit and must sit 50 ft from any home. Beekeeping is legal with DOEE registration. |
| Montgomery County, MD | Hens are allowed under the urban farming standards: one bird per 1,000 sq ft of lot, no roosters, on a farm area of at least 2,500 sq ft, with coops 15 ft from every lot line and no taller than 14 ft. Bees are allowed without the minimum area. |
| Prince George's County, MD | Urban agriculture and beekeeping are permitted uses. Coops, runs and hutches must be 25 ft from side and rear lot lines and 50 ft from any neighbor's house. |
| Alexandria, VA | City Code § 5-7-2 bans keeping any fowl (chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons) within 200 ft of a home you don't live in, which rules out hens on almost every Alexandria lot. The City Code's animal chapter has no beekeeping rule. |
| Arlington County, VA | Poultry must be kept in a coop or yard at least 100 ft from every street and lot line (zoning § 12.7.1), which rules out nearly every Arlington lot. Birds may never wander onto a neighbor's land (County Code § 2-2). |
| Fairfax County, VA | Chickens and other poultry are allowed only on lots of 2 acres or more, at one bird unit (32 chickens) per acre. Roosters only on working farms. Up to four beehives are allowed on any lot. |
Towns and cities inside these counties (for example, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Bowie, Laurel, Herndon, Vienna, and Falls Church) have their own rules.