NC · verified 2026-10-21
Asheville, NC
Short answerYes: the City of Asheville code allows backyard hens, but the cited section sets no number; roosters are banned; a permit is required, but the code lists no fee; and the coop setback is 10 ft.
Buying notes for backyard hens inside the City of Asheville corporate limits. HOA covenants and county rules outside city limits can differ.
Heads up: These rules apply inside the City of Asheville corporate limits only. An HOA or neighborhood covenant can still ban hens. Those private rules are usually not public, so HenCheck does not look them up.
Primary source: Ch. 3, Art. IV. Fowl (Secs. 3-50 to 3-52)
At a glance
- Hen cap
- No number set in the cited code section
- Roosters
- Banned
- Permit & fee
- Permit required, fee not listed in the code
- Setback
- 10 ft
Code cite: Ch. 3, Art. IV. Fowl (Secs. 3-50 to 3-52)
The rule, quoted
Word for word from Ch. 3, Art. IV. Fowl (Secs. 3-50 to 3-52)
How many hens
“no fowl shall be kept by any person within the city except in accordance with this article.”
Asheville licenses fowl but sets no number. Sec. 3-52 says the number must suit the coop and run, and the city requires an animal permit for 7 or more animals.
Ch. 3, Art. IV. Fowl (Secs. 3-50 to 3-52)
Roosters
“Roosters are expressly prohibited unless associated with a lawfully established, non-conforming use.”
Permit and fee
“The owner must pay an annual license fee as set in the city's fees and charges manual and register the fowl with the license-collecting agent of the city.”
Setback / screening
“The keeping of a cage or pen constructed and used for the purpose of restraining animals within ten feet of the outer limits of the lot upon which the cage or pen is situated; provided, however, this setback requirement shall not be applicable where the placing of the cage or pen within the ten-foot area does not result in locating the cage or pen within 50 feet of the nearest household occupied by persons other than the owner or keeper of the cage or pen.”
Sec. 3-50(b) applies this nuisance distance to fowl: keep the coop 10 ft from lot lines unless it would still be at least 50 ft from the nearest neighbor's home.
Also in this section
“Fowl shall be permitted according to the distance requirements as set forth in subsection 3-9(a)(3).”
“The fowl house and run must be fully enclosed, and the fowl kept within it at all times.”
“The number and type of fowl must be appropriate for the size and furnishings of the coop and run.”
What to buy
Named products and shops are real. Confirm stock, shipping, and that the vet still sees poultry before you spend money.
Shared Asheville, NC metro list: same stores for every city in this metro.
Hatchery
Cackle Hatchery
Ships live chicks to North Carolina via USPS Priority Mail. Cackle's FAQ lists North Carolina among the states it ships to, with chicks going out Mondays and Wednesdays from February to August and Wednesdays only from August to late October. Order sexed pullets if your city bans roosters or does not address them.
Feed store
Tractor Supply — Asheville South (#757)
Asheville — 14 Old Brevard Rd, Asheville, NC 28806. (828) 670-9170. Store page lists livestock feed and farm supplies, including chicken coops, waterers and feeders.
Coop
OverEZ Medium Chicken Coop with Wooden 8 ft Chicken Run
Dimensions: Coop 50¼ in L × 52½ in W × 62¼ in H (includes nesting box), sized by OverEZ for up to 10 chickens; Wooden 8 ft run 8 ft W × 8 ft L × 6 ft 3 in H
Price: Coop $1,699.00 (Classic or Coastal finish; the Farmhouse finish was out of stock); Wooden 8 ft run $1,899.00. Prices as shown on overezchickencoop.com on 2026-10-21. OverEZ lists its smaller 5-chicken coop as out of stock.
The coop footprint is about 4.2 ft × 4.4 ft and the run is 8 ft × 8 ft, so with the coop at the end of the run plan on roughly 8 ft × 12.5 ft. Measure your setback from the cited code before you pick a spot, and check any height limit: the run is 6 ft 3 in tall. OverEZ ships coops and runs by tractor-trailer freight to the end of your driveway; homes on islands or on roads a truck cannot reach may need to pick up at a freight terminal.
Vet
Carolina Family Vet
Asheville — 557 Old County Home Rd, Asheville, NC 28806. Its exotic pet care page says it cares for backyard chickens and backyard flocks. Call (828) 254-4224.
Verified 2026-10-21 against Ch. 3, Art. IV. Fowl (Secs. 3-50 to 3-52) at https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/ashevillenc/latest/asheville_nc/0-0-0-1568. Read the live code before you build or order birds.