SC · verified 2026-08-30
Lexington, SC
Buying notes for backyard hens inside the City of Lexington corporate limits. HOA covenants and county rules outside city limits can differ.
These rules apply inside the City of Lexington 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: § 91.02 Horses, hogs, cows and chickens; stables.
At a glance
- Hen cap
- Up to 4 hens
- Roosters
- Banned
- Permit & fee
- $20.00
- Setback
- 25 ft
The rule, quoted
How many hens
“No more than four (4) chickens may be allowed on any residential lot in the town, regardless of the size of the lot.”
§ 91.02 Horses, hogs, cows and chickens; stables.
Roosters
“Roosters shall not be allowed on residential lots within the Town under any circumstances.”
Permit and fee
“A permit shall be required before chickens will be allowed on any residential lot. The fee for this permit shall be twenty dollars ($20.00), and the permit may be applied for in the Office of Planning, Building and Technology.”
Apply at the Office of Planning, Building and Technology. A town permit does not override neighborhood covenants.
Setback / screening
“All structures to house chickens shall be at least twenty-five feet (25') from any property line. This distance may be reduced to ten feet (10'), however, if an application is accompanied by a letter from adjacent property owners, and as long as proper screening as determined by the approving authority is provided.”
25 feet is the default. You can drop it to 10 feet only with letters from adjacent owners plus screening the town accepts. Chickens are rear yard only.
Also in this section
“A permit, if issued, shall not override any applicable neighborhood covenants or restrictions.”
“Chickens may be located in the rear yard only, and the resident must provide proper disposal of sanitary waste and pest control.”
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. Lexington bans roosters on residential lots, so order sexed pullets, not straight-run. Cap is four chickens, 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. Stocks livestock/poultry feed, chick starter, layer pellets, waterers, and coops. Confirm hours before you drive from Lexington.
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
Lexington does not set a numeric coop or run size in § 91.02. Structures have to satisfy the Code Enforcement Officer.
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. Lexington wants 25 ft from any property line by default (rear yard only). That is the hard part, not the coop size. Neighbor letters plus screening can drop the setback to 10 ft.
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 § 91.02 Horses, hogs, cows and chickens; stables. at https://library.municode.com/sc/lexington/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIXGERE_CH91AN_GEPR_S91.02HOHOCOCHST. Read the live code before you build or order birds.