How Many Cows Can I Keep in My Back Yard in Virginia

Thousands more Prince William County residents can keep cattle and domestic fowl on their properties as a result of new rules approved by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors last week.

Prince William County's domestic fowl overlay district is shaded in pink. Parcels of 2 or more acres located in the domestic fowl overlay district that are zoned agricultural can also keep cattle at a rate of one cow per acre after the first acre.

During the Tuesday, Feb. 2 meeting, the county board signed off on two resolutions -- one expanding the county's domestic fowl overlay district and the other changing the county's zoning rules for keeping cattle.

As a result, about 1,800 parcels were added to the domestic fowl overlay district, and about 3,800 more agriculture-zoned parcels can keep cattle. The parcels now allowed to keep cattle are almost entirely within the expanded domestic fowl overlay district.

Domestic fowl

The domestic fowl overlay district was created in 2011 and covers almost all the semi-rural residential and agricultural zoned areas of the county. The expansion adds 3,900 acres to the district comprised of the last remaining semi-rural residential areas in in the Coles and Occoquan districts.

Homeowners within the district are allowed a certain number of "bird units" based on the acreage. Those units can be broken down in different ways. One "bird unit" allows a homeowner to have up to 10 chickens, which is equivalent to 20 pigeons, six ducks, four turkeys or one ostrich.

The maximum number of fowl allowed on a parcel depends on it the parcel's size. Parcels between 1 and 4.99 acres are allowed one bird unit per acre. Parcels between 5 and 9.99 acres are allowed three bird units per acre. There is no limit on bird units per acre on parcels of 10 acres or larger, according to the Prince William County Code.

The expansion adds 1,811 acres to the overlay district in the Bacon Race area off Davis Ford Road in the Occoquan District and 2,800 acres to the overlay district in the Coles District off Hoadly Road behind the county landfill.

Several property owners in those areas have asked to be allowed to keep domestic fowl on their properties, and others are already illegally keeping domestic fowl in that area, according to county staff.

The new rules also removed about 70 acres from the overlay district from the Gainesville and Brentsville districts that are not eligible to keep domestic fowl even though they were within the overlay district.

The expansion does not mean all homeowners in the district will automatically be allowed to keep domestic fowl. A special-use permit is required for any property that is zoned semi-rural residential, and homeowners' associations can choose not to allow domestic fowl in their neighborhoods.

Any parcels zoned agricultural that are under 10 acres and located within the domestic fowl overlay district will be allowed to keep domestic fowl by right. Also, all properties zoned agricultural that are over 10 acres can keep domestic fowl by right.

Cattle

Cattle are now permitted on parcels of 2 acres or more within the domestic fowl overlay district. County residents living on those parcels can keep cattle at the rate of one per acre after the first acre.

Previously, cattle were allowed only on parcels larger than 10 acres.

The change more than doubles the parcels on which residents are allowed to keep cattle, increasing the number from 2,538 to 6,534.

The county's planning department said the new rule "provides increased flexibility in allowing the keeping of cattle on agricultural zoned land in areas of the county that have already been recognized for their rural characteristics."

How Many Cows Can I Keep in My Back Yard in Virginia

Source: https://www.princewilliamtimes.com/news/more-prince-william-residents-can-have-cattle-and-chicken-under-new-county-rules/article_2bf32368-6a21-11eb-8f3f-0f6985cd217f.html

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