What you need to know about Backyard Chickens in the DMV
Shirley Mattam-Male, REALTOR?, GRI,CIPS
Expert in Northern VA & MD Real Estate | Washingtonian Top Producer NVAR Top Producer - Diamond Award
Recently, I was out shoe shopping?—?if you know me, you likely know that I have a slight penchant for shoes?—?and while I was waiting to try on my size of the most perfect nude color shoe with just the right amount of brushed gold, my phone buzzed with the best kind of message: a referral!
“Family moving in from the West Coast,” read the text. “Oh! And they are moving with a 30’ RV and 6 chickens.” Surely – this must not be right. Have you met me??
The message continued: “You are exactly the Realtor to help this family.”???
My mind was racing. Really? Me?? How does one sashay through acreage(s) of land in elegant shoes?
Fortunately, my referral source had more faith in me than I did. (Public Announcement:?“My business is solely based on referrals”…?Do read more about my methodology on?smattam.com.)
So, while this referral was far from “the norm” for me, I was thrilled that my referrer trusted in my ability to successfully find this client the perfect home for them, their precious feathered friends + their RV. New shoes in hand, I began digging into the rules and laws surrounding keeping backyard chickens in each of the Washington metro area counties.??
Disclaimer: This blog is based on my research and my understanding. It would be wise for you to call the necessary County/City/State to verify information. Clearly, I’m saving up for more shoes and could do without litigation, thank you.
My research with each of the counties in Virginia was within a 45- 60 minute commute time (OR 3 hours depending on the alignment of the sun or moon) from DC.?
?Fairfax County:
“Fairfax County residents who live on a property of more than 2 acres can keep chickens as an accessory use – no permit or special permission required…If your property is less than 2 acres, there is still a way to legally keep chickens. You must obtain a special permit from the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning to allow backyard chicken keeping on your property.”?Source: fairfaxcounty.gov
A call to the?Fairfax County zoning and Ordinance department (703-324-1314) verified this,?and they confirmed the requirement for a minimum of 2 acres. But, wait—there was more.
“Fowl, such as chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese, may only be kept on lots that are two acres or greater. They shall?not exceed the ratio of one bird unit per one acre, with a bird unit defined as: 32 chickens = 1 bird unit.”?Source: fairfaxcounty.gov
That just seems like a LOT of fowl for a backyard!
Prince William County:
Do you know that PW instituted a DFOD back in 2011? You don’t know what a DFOD is? Why, the Domestic Fowl Overlay District, of course! In areas of the DFOD that are zoned A-1 with a minimum of one acre, chickens are allowed. Fabulous! How does one find out if a particular address is within the DFOD and zoned appropriately? This took an email and a call to the planning office to resolve. The message I received is included below, but first, here are a few resources I found tremendously helpful in determining the regulations for Prince William:
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This was the email I received from PW’s planning office:
“You need to turn on the zoning layer as well as the domestic fowl overlay district layer. Under the identify button (the one which is the white/grey “I” in a black circle), you need to turn on the zoning, parcel, and domestic fowl overlay district layer labels. When you click the parcel, under the results information on the right you well see data entries. If nothing is listed for the domestic fowl overlay district, it is outside the zoning district. If you have further questions as how to use the County Mapper, please reach out to the GTS department at (703) 792-6840 or [email protected].”
And here is the?link to the map?to DFOD.
Loudoun County:
“In Loudoun County, anyone who lives on a property smaller than five acres must get the approval of the Soil and Water Conservation District to raise poultry.”?(Source: Loudoun Soil & Water Conservation District)
I found this detailed article from the?Washington?Post?about backyard hens to be tremendously helpful.
While this article was primarily meant for Northern Virginians, my curiosity got the better of me & I decided to research DC & Montgomery County, MD
Washington, DC:
It would seem that DC does NOT allow chickens. But, then again – I could be wrong. Yup! It was that unclear. I came across this cheeky?opinion article?from 2017 which I just had to share.
Montgomery County:
It would seem that Montgomery County is THE most chicken friendly region in the DC Metro area from this webpage about?Backyard Chickens?on montgomerycountymd.gov.?
One final note: Regardless of county regulations, HOA restrictions ALWAYS rule! So be sure to check with the homeowner association’s covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs).
Whether or not you have backyard fowls of your own, I’m here to help you wade through all the questions and logistics that can arise when searching for your perfect home in VA or MD. And if you are looking for land for your chickens, I promise I will invest in more flats.