Can I keep chickens, bees, or livestock on my property?
In the Town of Nanton, Alberta, backyard hens & livestock rules are set by Town of Nanton Animal Bylaw No. 1378/23 and 2 other bylaws, verified 2026-09-27. Livestock rule: No person shall keep or have any Livestock within the Town. Permit or licence: Urban Bees Licence required annually; fee $100 per annum; late payment fee $50.00; Premises Identification (PID) required. Setback: Hives: minimum 3 metres (10 feet) from all property lines; open spaces and adjacent to Pedestrian Walkways also 3 metres (10 feet).
| hens permitted | no | s. 5.3(c); s. 3.1(i) |
| roosters prohibited | yes | s. 5.3(c); s. 3.1(i) |
| bees permitted | no | s. 5.3(d) |
| livestock rule | No person shall keep or have any Livestock within the Town. | s. 5.3(a) |
Animal Bylaw bans keeping livestock, wildlife, poultry, bees, or poisonous snakes/reptiles/insects anywhere in Town, except livestock temporarily housed for veterinary/educational/civic purposes, permitted special events like parades, or areas the Land Use Bylaw specifically designates.
| bees permitted | yes | s. 1 |
| permit or licence | Urban Bees Licence required annually; fee $100 per annum; late payment fee $50.00; Premises Identification (PID) required. | s. 3.1.3; s. 4.7; s. 5.1; Schedule "A" |
| setback | Hives: minimum 3 metres (10 feet) from all property lines; open spaces and adjacent to Pedestrian Walkways also 3 metres (10 feet). | s. 6.3(a); s. 6.4; s. 6.5 |
Urban Bees Regulation Bylaw lets residents keep up to 2 hives per residential parcel for personal, non-commercial honey production, with an annual Town licence and a Premises ID; beekeeping is barred in parks/reserves, and a parcel can't be licensed for both hens and bees unless it's 0.3 acres or larger.
| hens permitted | yes | s. 1 |
| max hens | four (4) Hens under 0.3 acres or 1,214 square metres; six (6) Hens equal to or greater than 0.3 acres or 1,214 square metres | s. 4.8; s. 4.9 |
| roosters prohibited | yes | s. 6.2 |
| permit or licence | Urban Hen Licence required; fee $60.00 (one time); Premises Identification (PIO) required | s. 3.1.3; s. 5.1; Schedule "A"; s. 4.7 |
Urban Hen Bylaw permits up to 4 hens on parcels under 0.3 acres or 6 hens on larger parcels, with a Town-wide cap of 10 hen licences; roosters are prohibited, and each hen needs at least 0.37 sq m of coop floor plus 0.92 sq m of outdoor enclosure.