Marin County · CA
Can you keep backyard chickens in Fairfax, CA?
Yes, and Fairfax is the Marin exception: it allows backyard fowl with no permit and, unusually for the county, doesn't ban roosters (Fairfax Municipal Code 6.16.050). The main rule is about location, not number. You can't keep fowl within 25 feet of any window or door of a residence, and the coop has to stay clean and sanitary. There's no fixed hen cap for personal keeping, though raising fowl commercially is a conditional use in the residential zones. The bigger Fairfax factor is still the heavy predator pressure off the open-space edge.
Fairfax, CA · at a glance
- Hens allowed
- No fixed numeric cap for personal keeping; zoning applies (commercial fowl-raising is a conditional use)
- Roosters
- Allowed (Fairfax does not ban roosters, unlike most Marin towns)
- Setback
- Fowl not kept within 25 ft of any window or door of a residence (Muni Code 6.16.050)
- Permit
- Not required for keeping backyard fowl
- HOA
- Check your CC&Rs
Confirmed against Fairfax's municipal code. Your personalized report applies it to your exact parcel. Sources: backyardchickens.com · Fairfax Municipal Code 6.16.050-6.16.070 (American Legal)
Fairfax is the woodsy, independent-minded end of the Ross Valley, tucked against Cascade Canyon and a lot of open space. That setting is the whole story for a henhouse here: more shade, more slope and more wildlife than anywhere else we work. We build accordingly.
Setbacks and placement
Because Fairfax backs onto open space, we treat predator-proofing as the first design decision, not the last. Bobcats, foxes and coyotes work the wildland edge nightly and mountain lions pass through the canyons, so a buried apron, a fully enclosed and covered run and disciplined nightly closure are essential here. On the wooded slopes we level a pad and chase the one spot that gets real afternoon sun, and we keep the henhouse clear of the 25-foot setback from any home's windows and doors.
Neighbors
Fairfax is the rare Marin town where a rooster is legal, but the 25-foot fowl-location rule and a clean, well-vented coop are what actually keep the peace. If you do keep a rooster, talk to the neighbors first.
Climate
Fairfax has a Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers, but it's a town of extremes packed close together: deep, cool shade under the canyon canopy and hot, exposed ridges a short distance away. The right henhouse spot threads between the two, with shade in summer and dry footing in winter.
Predators in Fairfax
The local predators worth planning for are Coyotes, Bobcats, Foxes, Raccoons, Hawks, Mountain lions. Every Modern Hen install is built to handle them: half-inch hardware cloth on every opening, a buried apron, a hardware-cloth ceiling and two-step latches a raccoon can't open.
A quick-start checklist
- Keep backyard fowl with no permit, but check the zoning for your parcel
- Site the henhouse at least 25 ft from any window or door of a residence (Muni Code 6.16.050)
- Read your CC&Rs if you're in an HOA
- Make predator-proofing the first decision, given the open-space edge
- Build a buried apron and a fully covered run, and close up every night
- If you want a rooster, which Fairfax allows, talk to the neighbors first
Want the exact rules for your address?
We'll read your municipal code and send a plain-language report on what's allowed at your parcel. One email, no follow-ups.