NY · verified 2026-10-29
Buffalo, NY
Short answerYes: the City of Buffalo code allows up to 5 birds; roosters are banned; the code lists a permit fee of $25 per hen per year (max $125); and the coop setback is 20 ft.
Buying notes for backyard hens inside the City of Buffalo corporate limits. HOA covenants and county rules outside city limits can differ.
Heads up: These rules apply inside the City of Buffalo 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: Buffalo City Code §§ 341-11.1 Exceptions for chicken hens and 341-11.3 Chicken coop setbacks and limitations.
At a glance
- Hen cap
- Up to 5 hens
- Roosters
- Banned
- Permit & fee
- $25 per hen per year (max $125)
- Setback
- 20 ft
The rule, quoted
Word for word from Buffalo City Code §§ 341-11.1 Exceptions for chicken hens and 341-11.3 Chicken coop setbacks and limitations.
How many hens
“No more than five chicken hens shall be allowed for each single-family dwelling or multifamily dwelling.”
Up to five hens per dwelling, with a City Clerk license. You need written consent from every resident on adjacent property, and in duplexes and other multifamily buildings from the owner and all tenants.
Buffalo City Code §§ 341-11.1 Exceptions for chicken hens and 341-11.3 Chicken coop setbacks and limitations.
Roosters
“No roosters shall be allowed.”
Permit and fee
“Persons wishing to keep chicken hens within the City of Buffalo must obtain a license from the Office of the City Clerk after payment of an annual fee of $25 per chicken hen, up to a maximum of five chicken hens, for a maximum total annual fee of $125, as set forth in Chapter 175, Fees, and after inspection and approval of the coop and cage that chicken hens are to be kept in by an Animal Control Officer, pursuant to § 341-11.4 hereof.”
Annual license from the City Clerk. An Animal Control Officer inspects the coop first, and the Clerk notifies owners within 400 ft so they can comment.
Setback / screening
“The coops or cages housing such chicken hens must be situated at least 20 feet from any door or window of a dwelling, school, church or other occupied structure other than the applicant's dwelling.”
Coop at least 20 ft from the doors and windows of any neighbor’s home or other occupied building, 5 ft from side lot lines and 18 in from the rear lot line (5 ft if that line borders a neighbor’s side or front). Backyard only.
Coop and run size
“The chicken coop shall be a covered, predator resistant, well ventilated structure providing a minimum of two square feet per chicken hen.”
Also in this section
Neighbor consent
“No chicken hens shall be allowed without the express written consent of all residents residing on property adjacent to that of the applicant. Notice shall be given to community residents pursuant to § 341-11.4A below.”
Backyard only
“Chicken hens are to be restricted to the rear or backyard of any lot in a residential zoning district or the rear or backyard of a residential use in all other zoning districts.”
Coop plus fenced run
“The chicken hens shall be kept within both a coop and a fenced outdoor enclosure.”
32 sq ft and 7 ft max
“The total area of all coops or cages on a lot shall not be greater than 32 square feet for up to five chicken hens. Coops and cages, singly or in combination, shall not exceed seven feet in height.”
No sales
“Chicken hens shall be kept as pets and for personal use only; no person shall sell eggs or meat or engage in chicken breeding or fertilizer production for commercial purposes.”
No outdoor slaughter
“Slaughtering. There shall be no outdoor slaughtering of chicken hens.”
What to buy
Named products and shops are real. Confirm stock, shipping, and that the vet still sees poultry before you spend money.
Shared Buffalo, NY metro list: same stores for every city in this metro.
Hatchery
Cackle Hatchery
Ships live chicks to New York via USPS Priority Mail. Cackle's FAQ lists New York 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 — Hamburg (#1151)
Hamburg — 4484 Southwestern Blvd, Hamburg, NY 14075. (716) 648-5140. Store page lists a livestock department.
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, Farmhouse or Coastal finish); Wooden 8 ft run $1,899.00. Prices as shown on overezchickencoop.com on 2026-10-22.
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 roads a truck cannot reach may need to pick up at a freight terminal.
Vet
No verified poultry vet yet
We have not confirmed a clinic here that says it treats chickens. Call local vets and ask before you need one.
Verified 2026-10-29 against Buffalo City Code §§ 341-11.1 Exceptions for chicken hens and 341-11.3 Chicken coop setbacks and limitations. at https://ecode360.com/11767344. Read the live code before you build or order birds.