UK Law · Tools
Can I keep chickens where I live?
Four things can stop you (your deeds, your tenancy, planning and nuisance) plus one that applies to everyone: registration. This checker walks you through each, honestly. Where we haven't verified the law for your situation, it says so rather than guess.
In plain English
Nothing here stops you outright, but one thing needs checking first: check your deed for a livestock covenant. And every keeper must register with APHA within a month.
You must
Register your birds with APHA
Since 1 October 2024 every bird keeper in Great Britain must register — even a single hen — within one month of getting them.
What to do: Register online — it takes about 10 minutes.
gov.uk · checked 2026-07-09
Check
Check your deed for a livestock covenant
Many modern estates carry a restrictive covenant banning livestock or poultry. It binds you even though the council has nothing to do with it.
What to do: Get your title register from HM Land Registry (£3) and read the covenants.
gov.uk · checked 2026-07-09
This is a starting checklist, not legal advice, and it never says "yes, you can", the final answer is in your own deeds, tenancy and council. It covers England & Wales; we'll add the other nations once each source is verified.
How this checker treats the law
It never tells you it's legal. No online tool can. The decisive facts are in your own title deeds, your tenancy, and your specific council's rules. So this gives you a checklist of what applies, what to check, and where to check it, with a link to the actual gov.uk or legislation.gov.uk source for every point.
It fails closed. If we haven't verified the law for your nation and situation, it says "we haven't checked this" instead of guessing. It covers England & Wales today; Scotland and Northern Ireland use different sources (Registers of Scotland, their own nuisance and allotment law), so we'll add them once each is verified rather than extrapolate from England.
One thing applies to everyone. Since 1 October 2024, every bird keeper in Great Britain must register with APHA within a month. Even a single hen. That one shows up whatever your answers.