Roosters: restrictions.

Assembly Member Rogers proposes new restrictions on rooster keeping in California, limiting property owners to three roosters per acre or 25 total roosters, while prohibiting the use of movement-constraining enclosures or tethers. The measure, which would take effect January 1, 2027, establishes civil penalties up to $2,500 per violation, with each day of non-compliance counted as a separate offense.

The legislation creates specific exemptions for food production facilities under inspection, educational institutions, government animal shelters, and nonprofit animal welfare organizations. Additional carve-outs apply to youth agricultural programs like 4-H and Future Farmers of America, as well as certified poultry exhibitors who meet strict criteria including participation in the National Poultry Improvement Plan and absence of cockfighting-related convictions in the past decade.

The bill's findings cite California's status as the location of the three largest cockfighting seizures nationwide between 2000 and 2024, along with concerns about disease transmission at large-scale breeding operations. Since February 2022, highly pathogenic avian influenza has affected over 23 million commercial and backyard poultry in California. The measure preserves local authority by allowing cities and counties to enact more stringent rooster regulations, while establishing a framework for enforcement through civil actions brought by state and local prosecutors.