TX · verified 2026-10-23
Fort Worth, TX
Short answerYes: the City of Fort Worth code sets a fowl limit by lot size (up to 12 on lots of ½ acre or less, up to 25 on lots over ½ acre but under 1 acre and up to 50 on lots of 1 acre or more); roosters are allowed; the cited code does not mention a permit; and the coop setback is 50 ft.
Buying notes for backyard hens inside the City of Fort Worth corporate limits. HOA covenants and county rules outside city limits can differ.
Heads up: These rules apply inside the City of Fort Worth 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: § 11A-22 Keeping pigeons and certain fowl.
At a glance
- Hen cap
- By lot size: 12 fowl (lots of ½ acre or less); 25 fowl (lots over ½ acre but under 1 acre); 50 fowl (lots of 1 acre or more)
- Roosters
- Allowed
- Permit & fee
- Code does not mention a permit
- Setback
- 50 ft
Code cite: § 11A-22 Keeping pigeons and certain fowl.
The rule, quoted
Word for word from § 11A-22 Keeping pigeons and certain fowl.
How many hens
“A person commits an offense if, on one-half acre or less, the person knowingly: (1) Keeps or maintains more than 12 fowl;”
The limit counts all fowl (any bird used for food or sport or kept as a pet, roosters included), not just hens. The 25 and 50 tiers for bigger lots are quoted below.
§ 11A-22 Keeping pigeons and certain fowl.
Roosters
“Keeps or maintains more than two roosters on property that is zoned as residential or mixed-use commercial in accordance with Appendix A of the code of the City of Fort Worth, regardless of the total number of fowl being kept;”
Up to two roosters on residential or mixed-use commercial land, at any lot size.
Permit and fee
Code does not mention a permit. Ask the city whether a permit is needed before you buy birds.
Setback / screening
“A person commits an offense if the person knowingly keeps or maintains any number of pigeons and/or fowl within 50 feet of any regulated structures as defined in subsection (f) below.”
Measured from the coop or pen to the nearest home (other than your own), restaurant, church, school, hospital, daycare, lodging or similar building listed in (f), not to the lot line.
Also in this section
Lots over ½ acre but under 1 acre
“A person commits an offense if, on more than one-half acre but less than one acre, the person knowingly: (1) Keeps or maintains more than 25 fowl;”
Lots of 1 acre or more
“A person commits an offense if, on one acre or more of property, the person knowingly: a. Keeps or maintains more than 50 fowl;”
Keep them penned
“Keeps or maintains any number of fowl not contained within a coop or pen.”
Daily waste pickup
“Collect the animals’ wastes daily in a ratproof and fly-tight container or receptacle;”
What to buy
Named products and shops are real. Confirm stock, shipping, and that the vet still sees poultry before you spend money.
Shared Dallas–Fort Worth, TX metro list: same stores for every city in this metro.
Hatchery
Cackle Hatchery
Ships live chicks to Texas via USPS Priority Mail. Cackle's FAQ lists Texas 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 — Mansfield (#487)
Mansfield — 1550 Highway 157 N, Mansfield, TX 76063. (817) 477-3950. 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, 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 2026-10-23 against § 11A-22 Keeping pigeons and certain fowl. at https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/ftworth/latest/ftworth_tx/0-0-0-40033. Read the live code before you build or order birds.