Brawley · Land use · Horses and stables
Where is keeping horses allowed in Brawley?
In Brawley, keeping horses is allowed in 3 base zones (R-A, R-E and A-1, 2 with a condition), needs a conditional use permit (planning commission) in 1 (R-1) and not allowed in 4 (Brawley use tables, read October 2026).
Key points
- Allowed: R-A, R-E and A-1
- Needs a permit: R-1
- Not allowed: R-2, R-3, MHS and MHP
Find your lot's zone on the city zoning map, then read its row. Every status below was read from the Brawley Municipal Code use tables (read October 2026). Base zones only. General information, not legal advice — check with the city before you apply.
Zones where keeping horses can go
Brawley's code calls this use “Horses, cows, sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens for personal use”. Each row links to the use table it comes from. A zone marked “see note” has a condition in the code, for example upper floors only or a larger lot.
| Zone | Status | Code |
|---|---|---|
| R-A | Allowed — see note Note 2: 2. The keeping of horses, cows, sheep, goats, rabbits, and chickens for personal use, provided the lot or parcel in question is at least one-half acre (twenty-one thousand seven hundred eighty square feet) in area. The number of animals per lot or parcel shall be limited to no more than one horse, one cow, one sheep, one goat, two rabbits, and ten chickens for every one-half acre of lot area. A combination of the above (i.e., two horses, no cows) may be approved by the city manager. No stable, barn, corral, pen or chicken coop shall be kept or maintained closer than fifty feet to any adjacent property owner's dwelling or other building used for human habitation, or within the front yard setback of each lot line of the lot upon which it is located, or within the front yard setback one hundred feet of any public park, school, hospital, or similar institution. Note 4: 4. Except as hereinafter provided in subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this note, it shall be unlawful for any person to keep or maintain or cause to be kept or maintained, a stand of bees, cattle, horses, mules, donkeys, sheep, swine, goats, guinea hens, pigeons, rooster, peacocks, poultry, or wild, exotic, or undomesticated animals within the city of Brawley.
a. Birds. Where more than ten birds are kept on any premises, whether for pleasure or profit, a conditional use permit shall be required.
b. Poultry, rabbits, chinchillas, furbearing animals, amphibians, and other small animals. Where more than two such animals are kept on any premises, whether for pleasure or profit, a conditional use permit shall be required. In no case shall such conditional use permit allow more than ten such animals.
c. Upon written application in such form as may be prescribed by the city manager and upon inspection of the premises, a permit may be granted by the city manager allowing a person to keep and maintain a reasonable number of pigeons upon condition that the same are kept penned or caged at all times.
In fixing the number of pigeons to be permitted, the city manager shall consider the purpose thereof, the facilities to be used, and the surrounding neighborhood. Such permit may be revoked upon notice to the permit holder and after public hearing by the city council. Any of the following shall be sufficient grounds for revocation of such permit: (i) such pigeons have not been properly kept and maintained; (ii) that excessive numbers are or have been kept and maintained; (iii) that due to changed circumstances, the same constitute either a public or private nuisance.
d. The city manager may grant permission to keep or raise any of such prohibited species during such times that any of such species are participants in a show, rodeo, circus, exhibition, parade, or other similar event. The city manager shall specify the time that said permission shall be effective. | § 27.72 |
| R-E | Allowed — see note Note 2: 2. The keeping of horses, cows, sheep, goats, rabbits, and chickens for personal use, provided the lot or parcel in question is at least one-half acre (twenty-one thousand seven hundred eighty square feet) in area. The number of animals per lot or parcel shall be limited to no more than one horse, one cow, one sheep, one goat, two rabbits, and ten chickens for every one-half acre of lot area. A combination of the above (i.e., two horses, no cows) may be approved by the city manager. No stable, barn, corral, pen or chicken coop shall be kept or maintained closer than fifty feet to any adjacent property owner's dwelling or other building used for human habitation, or within the front yard setback of each lot line of the lot upon which it is located, or within the front yard setback one hundred feet of any public park, school, hospital, or similar institution. Note 4: 4. Except as hereinafter provided in subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this note, it shall be unlawful for any person to keep or maintain or cause to be kept or maintained, a stand of bees, cattle, horses, mules, donkeys, sheep, swine, goats, guinea hens, pigeons, rooster, peacocks, poultry, or wild, exotic, or undomesticated animals within the city of Brawley.
a. Birds. Where more than ten birds are kept on any premises, whether for pleasure or profit, a conditional use permit shall be required.
b. Poultry, rabbits, chinchillas, furbearing animals, amphibians, and other small animals. Where more than two such animals are kept on any premises, whether for pleasure or profit, a conditional use permit shall be required. In no case shall such conditional use permit allow more than ten such animals.
c. Upon written application in such form as may be prescribed by the city manager and upon inspection of the premises, a permit may be granted by the city manager allowing a person to keep and maintain a reasonable number of pigeons upon condition that the same are kept penned or caged at all times.
In fixing the number of pigeons to be permitted, the city manager shall consider the purpose thereof, the facilities to be used, and the surrounding neighborhood. Such permit may be revoked upon notice to the permit holder and after public hearing by the city council. Any of the following shall be sufficient grounds for revocation of such permit: (i) such pigeons have not been properly kept and maintained; (ii) that excessive numbers are or have been kept and maintained; (iii) that due to changed circumstances, the same constitute either a public or private nuisance.
d. The city manager may grant permission to keep or raise any of such prohibited species during such times that any of such species are participants in a show, rodeo, circus, exhibition, parade, or other similar event. The city manager shall specify the time that said permission shall be effective. | § 27.72 |
| A-1 Light Agricultural District | Allowed Code row: “Animals, horses, cows, goats, rabbits, chickens and other farm animals for personal use” | § 27.131 |
| R-1 | Needs a conditional use permit (planning commission) | § 27.72 |
Zones where it is not allowed
What else applies
- Commercial rows are left out: 'Riding academies and stables with boarding or horses' (S3 M-1 and M-2 conditional; S4 R permitted) and 'Breeding farms, cattle or horses' (S3 M-2 conditional).
- Not covered here: P-D (planned development) zones. Overlay zones and specific plans can also change the answer.
Other uses in Brawley
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
Can I have keeping horses in the R-1 zone in Brawley?
Only with a conditional use permit (planning commission). Brawley's use table lists it that way in R-1 (§ 27.72).
Can I have keeping horses in the R-2 zone in Brawley?
No. Brawley's use table does not allow it in R-2 (§ 27.72).
Can I have keeping horses in the R-A zone in Brawley?
Yes, with a condition. Brawley's use table lists it as allowed in R-A (§ 27.72). The code adds a condition: “2. The keeping of horses, cows, sheep, goats, rabbits, and chickens for personal use, provided the lot or parcel in question is at least one-half acre (twenty-one thousand seven hundred eighty square feet) in area.…”
General information, not legal advice.
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