Bill > SB141

This bill establishes statewide protections for homeowners who want to raise up to six chickens on single-family residential lots, limiting the ability of municipalities and property owners' associations (HOAs) to prohibit small-scale chicken keeping. Specifically, the bill prevents local governments and HOAs from creating rules that effectively ban residents from raising six or fewer chickens, though they can still impose reasonable regulations such as restricting the number of chickens beyond six, prohibiting breeding or roosters, and setting minimum distances between chicken coops and residential structures. For municipalities, these provisions apply to all current and future ordinances, while for HOAs, the rules only apply to restrictive covenants created on or after September 1, 2025. Any existing ordinances or covenant provisions that conflict with these new rules would be considered void. The bill aims to provide homeowners more flexibility in raising a small number of chickens for personal use, while still allowing some local control over poultry-related regulations to address potential nuisance or health concerns.

Government Affairs

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=SB141