Sacramento County adopts new rooster rules after noise complaints. What to know

Sacramento County supervisors adopted a new ordinance regulating roosters after receiving more than 800 complaints about noise, animal welfare and suspected cockfighting. The Zoning Code Amendment for Crowing Fowl was approved at the board’s June 16 meeting and took effect July 16.

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FULL STORY: Sacramento County supervisors consider new rooster rules amid noise complaints

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Here are key takeaways:

• The complaints: More than 800 reports about crowing fowl were submitted through Sacramento County’s 311 system from 2022 through July 25, 2025, most involving noise, inhumane treatment and suspected cockfighting.
• What changed: The ordinance applies county noise rules in residential areas, sets standards for animal keeping, modifies rooster limits based on lot size and prohibits tethering and mutilation of roosters.
• Registration option: A new process allows “legitimate hobbyists, breeders, and exhibitors” to exceed rooster limits and reduce minimum lot-size requirements. Enforcement is complaint-driven, with violators given 30 days to comply.
• Community pushback: The California Hmong Chamber of Commerce voiced “strong opposition,” writing that roosters are “integral to ceremonies, offerings, and daily religious expressions” for the Hmong community and that restrictions could raise free-exercise concerns.
• Path to approval: Six public workshops were held starting in December 2024, and the county Planning Commission voted 3-0 in February to recommend approval before the board adopted the ordinance June 16.