Yes, you can keep chickens inside Durango city limits. The catch is that the city allows hens only, and only a few. The City Council legalized backyard hens in 2009 on a 3-2 vote, and the rule is still on the books. Your address matters most. A lot inside the city follows one set of rules, and a lot in the unincorporated county follows another. In both places, bears are often a bigger worry than the code.
Does the City of Durango allow backyard chickens?
It does. The city's Code of Ordinances bans poultry everywhere in the city except the Residential-Agricultural zone. It then makes one exception: chicken hens, as long as you keep six or fewer (City of Durango Code of Ordinances). The section carries the 2009 ordinance number, O-2009-23. That matches the news from the vote. The ordinance let residents keep up to six hens in a predator-resistant coop, with no roosters older than six months (Denver Post). The same story said the city's planning director modeled the rules on those of Fort Collins and Ridgway.
What rules apply to a coop inside city limits?
More than a headcount. The city's Land Use and Development Code has its own section on keeping chickens, and it applies in every zone, on top of the rest of the city code. We have not listed the exact coop setbacks, the rooster rule or any permit step here. Those details are easy to get wrong, and they can change with a code update. The people who maintain the standards can give you the current version. The City of Durango's Community Development Department takes planning questions at 970-375-4850 or planning@DurangoCO.gov. Its office is at 150 Mercury Village Drive (City of Durango). Call before you order chicks, because a coop built wrong is a pain to move.
Can I keep chickens outside city limits?
Maybe. It depends on zoning. Outside the city, the county Land Use Code and the zone district for your parcel decide what animals you can keep. La Plata County's Planning Division answers that kind of question at 970-382-6263 (La Plata County). Its office is at 211 Rock Point Drive.
Animal-care complaints follow a separate track. The La Plata County Sheriff's Office enforces Chapter 10 of the county code, which covers animal licensing, control and treatment, for properties outside city and town limits. Reports go to dispatch at 970-385-2900 (La Plata County). Check your subdivision covenants and any homeowners association as well. Those are private rules, not government ones, but they can still say no.
How do you protect chickens from bears in Durango?
Treat the coop as a bear problem first. The city's wildlife page repeats guidance from Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Keep chickens, bees and livestock in a fully covered enclosure, especially at night. Build electric fencing when you can. Do not store feed outside, and keep the enclosure clean so it smells less (City of Durango). Food left out draws bears, and the city's bear ordinance takes that seriously. It is unlawful for an owner or occupant to let wildlife scatter trash, and all trash and recycling containers must be secured or stored where wildlife cannot reach them.
Help exists for this. Bear Smart Durango offers money and design help for small backyard electric fencing around chicken coops, beehives and compost piles. You contact the group to see if you qualify. The La Plata County Bear Hotline, (970) 247-BEAR (2327), is where you report bear activity and bears getting into trash (Bear Smart Durango). Our answer on bear-proofing your trash covers the city containers.
What other predators go after backyard flocks?
Colorado State University Extension lists dogs, snakes, rats, owls and hawks, along with the bigger carnivores. Its advice is practical. Raise the coop about a foot off the ground and keep the floor tight. Lock the birds in at night. Cover the run, because bobcats and coyotes can clear a 4-foot fence (CSU Extension). If something digs, bury galvanized hardware cloth around the edge of the run. When raccoons are around, pick welded wire with 1-by-2-inch openings or smaller over the wider 2-by-3-inch mesh. Dogs count as predators too, including the neighbor's, so read our leash law answer for what the city requires of dog owners.
Feed, bedding and coop supplies are sold at local pet stores, and the pet owners guide lists vets and other services. If you also own a dog, the dog license answer explains the yearly fee.