SC · verified 2026-08-30
Cayce, SC
Buying notes for backyard hens inside the City of Cayce corporate limits. HOA covenants and county rules outside city limits can differ.
These rules apply inside the City of Cayce 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: Sec. 8-11. Keeping of domestic chickens.
At a glance
- Hen cap
- Up to 4 hens
- Roosters
- Banned
- Permit & fee
- $20.00 per year
- Setback
- 7.5 ft
The rule, quoted
How many hens
“No more than a total of four domestic chickens may be kept or maintained on a single premises.”
Sec. 8-11. Keeping of domestic chickens.
Roosters
“No roosters (mature male domestic chickens) shall be permitted within the city limits.”
Permit and fee
“A permit to keep chickens on designated property is required on a yearly basis. Permits shall be issued by the animal control division. The permit cost is $20.00.”
Animal control inspects the property and coop before the permit is issued. Permits are yearly. A permit can be revoked after a second municipal-court conviction in a permit year.
Setback / screening
“Coops must be located in the rear yard and at least 7.5 feet from all property lines. A coop must be screened from side or rear lot lines with shrubbery or a privacy fence, if any portion of the coop is located within 25 feet of a neighbor's dwelling.”
7.5 feet from every property line is a hard minimum, rear yard only. The 25-foot figure is a screening trigger for a neighbor's dwelling, not a second setback.
Coop and run size
“Coops shall be six sided (four sides, a bottom, and a top). Coops shall contain at least two square feet in bottom surface area per chicken.”
Also in this section
“Slaughter is not allowed on the premises.”
“Chickens shall not be kept or used for commercial purposes.”
“The keeping of domestic chickens (excluding roosters) is permitted only as an accessory use for a single family detached house in a residential zoning district.”
What to buy
Named products and shops are real. Confirm stock, shipping, and that the vet still sees poultry before you spend money.
Hatchery
Cackle Hatchery
Ships live chicks to South Carolina (and most U.S. states) via USPS Priority Mail, typically Monday and Wednesday hatches. Cayce bans roosters, so order sexed pullets, not straight-run. Cap is four hens, so a 3- or 4-pullet order is the legal flock.
Feed store
Tractor Supply, Columbia Southeast (#2329)
Columbia — 7831 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, SC 29209. About 15 minutes from Cayce. Stocks livestock/poultry feed, chick starter, layer pellets, waterers, and coops.
Coop
OverEZ Small Chicken Coop with Regular 8 ft Chicken Run
Dimensions: Coop 34 in L × 45 in W × 54.5 in H (includes nest box); run 7 ft W × 8 ft L × 4 ft H
Cayce requires a six-sided coop with at least 2 sq ft of floor per chicken (8 sq ft for four). This coop is about 10.6 sq ft of floor. Cayce does not set a numeric run size.
The coop footprint is about 2.8 ft × 3.75 ft; with the 7 ft × 8 ft run the whole setup is roughly 8 ft × 11 ft. Cayce requires 7.5 ft from every property line in the rear yard, so you need a rear yard that can take that footprint plus the setback on all sides. If any part of the coop is within 25 ft of a neighbor's dwelling, screen the side or rear lot line with shrubbery or a privacy fence.
Vet
Sunset Animal Clinic
West Columbia — 127 Professional Avenue, West Columbia, SC 29169. Lists chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys among exotic and barnyard avian patients. Call (803) 791-5575 to confirm they are accepting poultry before you need an emergency visit.
Verified 2026-08-30 against Sec. 8-11. Keeping of domestic chickens. at https://library.municode.com/sc/cayce/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH8AN_ARTIINGE_S8-11KEDOCH. Read the live code before you build or order birds.