Can you keep backyard chickens in Guam?
The sources we read don't settle registration or who decides where hens can live. Here's what they do say.
Read from 6 official sources29 passages quotedChecked November 2, 2026
At a glance
Registering your flock
Territory keeping rule
Bird-flu housing orders
Welfare rules
A sourced reading of the law in Guam, not legal advice. Local bylaws and zoning, property or tenancy rules, and any local rooster or coop limits aren't covered here yet: check your local rules before you get hens.
Keeping your flock
These findings cover the scope stated below. They do not determine whether chickens are allowed at a particular home. City zoning, property restrictions and other local rules are outside this research.
Registering as a poultry keeper
Not established from the sources checked
Jurisdiction: Guam
Applies to: Guam's Keeping Animals law (10 GCA Chapter 34, Article 2), the plant and animal quarantine law (5 GCA Chapter 61, Article 1) and the animal disease rules (9 GAR Chapter 2), read on November 2, 2026.
Outside this finding's scope
- No registration duty aimed at backyard poultry keepers was found in the sections read (10 GCA §§ 34201–34210; 5 GCA §§ 61101–61110; 9 GAR §§ 2100, 2102, 2112 and 2115). This is not proof that no duty exists.
What the checked sources say
- A sanitary permit from the Department of Agriculture is needed to operate a commercial animal establishment (pet shop, grooming shop, auction, riding school or stable, zoological park, circus performing animal exhibition, animal quarantine facility or kennel) and, in the law's words, by anyone 'which imports, exports, exhibits, sells, boards or otherwise exposes the public to live animals' (10 GCA §§ 34201(e), 34201(t), 34202(a)). An animal there is any live non-human vertebrate. Whether this reaches a keeper who occasionally sells chicks or hens is not established.
Authority: Not established from the sources checked.
Fee: Not established from the sources checked.
The official wording
(a) No individual, partnership or corporation, or any other group or combination acting in concert shall operate a zoo, pet shop, kennel, animal shelter, veterinary hospital or other commercial animal establishment, or which imports, exports, exhibits, sells, boards or otherwise exposes the public to live animals without first obtaining a sanitary permit to operate,
10 GCA § 34202(a) · Checked
(e) “Commercial animal establishment” means a pet shop, grooming shop, auction, riding school or stable, zoological park, circus performing animal exhibition, animal quarantine facility or kennel;
10 GCA § 34201(e) · Checked
(t) “Permitting authority” means the Department of Agriculture (the Department) which shall be the permitting authority for purposes of this Article.
10 GCA § 34201(t) · Checked
(a) “Animal” means any live non-human vertebrate creature, domestic or wild;
10 GCA § 34201(a) · Checked
Bird-flu housing orders
Current status needs rechecking
An official current-status link has not been established.
Orders can change between checks. A missed check or an expired order does not establish that no order applies.
Housing-order finding as checked on 2026-11-02
The scope and conditions below are a dated record, not confirmation of today's position.
Conditions apply to this finding
Uses housing orders in this scope: Yes, according to the checked evidence, within the limits listed under “Outside this finding’s scope” below.
Jurisdiction: Guam
Applies to: The Director's power to safeguard (confine) animals under Guam's plant and animal quarantine law, and the quarantines that regulations under that law may set (5 GCA §§ 61101, 61102 and 61104, Compiler's file dated October 26, 2026), and the Territorial Veterinarian's quarantine rule (9 GAR § 2115, filed in 1985; Compiler's file dated 2010).
Outside this finding's scope
- This finding does not establish that any order applies now.
- No order requiring backyard poultry to be housed indoors was identified in the sections read.
What the checked sources say
- The Director may safeguard any animal when, in the Director's opinion, such confinement is necessary to prevent the spread of a pest from that animal; a pest includes a virus injurious to Guam livestock, and livestock includes poultry (5 GCA §§ 61104, 61101(a), 61101(e)).
- Regulations may set quarantines at the border of or within Guam that prohibit or restrict the entry and movement of designated pests and hosts (5 GCA § 61102).
- The Territorial Veterinarian may place a quarantine on any animal, herd, premises or village to prevent the spread of a transmissible disease, and no animals may be moved into or out of the quarantined place without the Territorial Veterinarian's permit; animals here include poultry (9 GAR §§ 2115(a), 2100(a)(2)).
- Current mandatory housing status remains unconfirmed; ask the Department of Agriculture's Animal Health division.
- Checked
- Recheck due
Historical evidence, as checked
These quotations record what was checked on the dates shown. They do not confirm an order's current status.
The Director shall have the power to safeguard any animal, plant, or other regulated article when, in his opinion, such confinement is necessary to prevent the spread of a pest from such article.
5 GCA § 61104 · Checked
(a) Pest means insect, fungus, bacterium, virus and other forms of animal and plant life known or suspected to be injurious to Guam crops and livestock or poisonous to fish.
5 GCA § 61101(a) · Checked
(e) Livestock means cattle, carabao, swine, deer, sheep, goats, equine and poultry raised for labor, food or other purposes.
5 GCA § 61101(e) · Checked
Such regulations may establish quarantines at the border of or within Guam, prohibiting or restricting the entry and movement of designated pests and hosts
5 GCA § 61102, second sentence · Checked
The Territorial Veterinarian is authorized to place a quarantine on any animal, herd, premises, or village whenever in his opinion such action is necessary to prevent the spread of a transmissible disease.
9 GAR § 2115(a) · Checked
No animals shall be removed from or added to such herds, premises, or areas except by permit from the Territorial Veterinarian.
9 GAR § 2115(a), continued · Checked
(2) Animals: Wild animals, domestic animals, poultry and other birds, and hatching eggs.
9 GAR § 2100(a)(2) · Checked
Small-flock welfare minimums
Rule identified for the scope below
Jurisdiction: Guam
Applies to: Guam's Protecting Animal Welfare and Safety (PAWS) Act (Pugua's Law), 9 GCA Chapter 70, Article 1 (Compiler's file dated June 10, 2026), whose definition of animal includes birds and livestock, and livestock includes poultry raised for food.
Outside this finding's scope
- No numerical space or housing standard for poultry was found in the article read.
- The fifth minimum-care item applies only to domestic animals, which the law defines as animals other than livestock; poultry raised for labor, food or other purposes are livestock (9 GCA §§ 70.15(c), 70.15(f), 70.15(g)(5)).
- The article does not apply to the proper killing of animals used for food, except dogs and cats, in accordance with the law, among other listed exceptions (9 GCA § 70.65(g)(3)).
What the checked sources say
- A person who intentionally, knowingly or recklessly fails to provide minimum care for an animal in their possession commits the offense of animal neglect, punishable by a fine of up to $500 per offense (9 GCA § 70.20).
- Minimum care includes adequate access to food and to potable water, access to a structure that protects the animal from wind, rain, sun and other weather, and the veterinary and other care a reasonably prudent person would think necessary to relieve distress from injury, neglect or disease (9 GCA § 70.15(g)(1)–(4)).
The official wording
(a) Animal means any nonhuman mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, or fish, and is inclusive of, but not limited to, livestock and domestic animals.
9 GCA § 70.15(a) · Checked
(f) Livestock means cattle, carabao, swine, deer, sheep, goats, equine, and poultry raised for labor, food, or other purposes.
9 GCA § 70.15(f) · Checked
(a) A person commits the offense of Animal Neglect if, except as otherwise authorized by § 70.65 of this Article, the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly fails to provide minimum care for an animal in the person’s possession.
9 GCA § 70.20(a) · Checked
(b) Animal Neglect is an offense punishable by a fine of not more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500) per offense.
9 GCA § 70.20(b) · Checked
(g) Minimum care means care reasonably sufficient to preserve the health and well-being of an animal and, except for emergencies or circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the guardian, includes, but is not limited to, the following requirements:
9 GCA § 70.15(g), lead-in · Checked
(1) open or adequate access to food of reasonable quantity and quality to allow for normal growth or maintenance of body weight; (2) open or adequate access to potable water of reasonable quality and quantity to satisfy the animal’s needs;
9 GCA § 70.15(g)(1)-(2) · Checked
(3) access to a structure reasonably sufficient to protect the animal from wind, rain, sun, or other environmental or weather conditions; (4) veterinary and other care deemed necessary by a reasonably prudent person to relieve distress from injury, neglect, or disease;
9 GCA § 70.15(g)(3)-(4) · Checked
(5) for a domestic animal, continuous access to an area:
9 GCA § 70.15(g)(5), lead-in · Checked
(c) Domestic animal means any animal, other than livestock, that is owned by a person or in a person’s possession.
9 GCA § 70.15(c) · Checked
(g) Sections 70.10 to 70.85 of this Article shall not apply to:
9 GCA § 70.65(g), lead-in · Checked
(3) the proper killing of animals used for food, except for dogs and cats, in accordance with the law;
9 GCA § 70.65(g)(3) · Checked
Rules on keeping poultry
Conditions apply to this finding
Jurisdiction: Guam
Applies to: Guam's Livestock and Poultry law (10 GCA §§ 35101–35103) and the Zoning Law of Guam (21 GCA §§ 61301, 61304 and 61305), read on November 2, 2026.
Outside this finding's scope
- The zoning law says land may be used only for a use permitted in its zone. Its 'A' Rural Zone lists raising poultry; its 'R1' One-Family Dwelling Zone lists gardening and keeping pets for noncommercial purposes. Whether backyard hens count as pets there, and how the zoning law and 10 GCA § 35102 fit together, is not established.
- Whether the ban on letting 'other domestic animals' run loose (10 GCA § 35101) covers poultry is not established.
What the checked sources say
- Poultry or fowl may be kept on any premises if there are no more than twenty (20) birds, they are kept fifty (50) feet away from any building, and they are kept clean and free from any accumulation of excreta, decayed food and filth (10 GCA § 35102).
- Coops and other structures or enclosures for any fowl must be kept clean and sanitary (10 GCA § 35103).
- The residential-area ban in the same section names pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, goats and carabao, which may be kept in residential areas only where zoned agricultural; poultry are not on that list (10 GCA § 35102).
- Land may be used only for a use permitted in its zone; the 'A' Rural Zone permits raising poultry for commercial or personal uses (21 GCA §§ 61301, 61304(a)(2)).
The official wording
Poultry or fowl may be kept upon any premises provided the number does not exceed twenty (20), they are kept fifty (50) feet away from any building, and, they are kept clean and free, from any accumulation of excreta, decayed food and filth of every kind.
10 GCA § 35102, second sentence · Checked
All houses, yards, coops, hutches, kennels, pens, paddocks, barns, stables or other structures or enclosures for any fowl or animal shall be kept clean and free from any accumulation of excreta, decayed food and filth of every kind.
10 GCA § 35103, first sentence · Checked
No owner or occupant shall keep or allow to be kept upon any premises owned by him, or in his possession or control, any pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, goats or carabao in any residential area except those zoned as agricultural areas.
10 GCA § 35102, first sentence · Checked
no building or land shall be used for any purpose, except for a use permitted in the zone in which such building or land is located, as hereafter provided in this article.
21 GCA § 61301 · Checked
(2) Farming and fisheries, including all types of activities and pursuits customarily carried on in the field of agriculture and fisheries, including the raising of crops and fruits, poultry and livestock, grazing and dairying, tree and other vegetative production whether for commercial or personal uses.
21 GCA § 61304(a)(2) ('A' Rural Zone) · Checked
(2) Gardening and the keeping of pets for noncommercial purposes.
21 GCA § 61305(a)(2) ('R1' One-Family Dwelling Zone) · Checked
No pigs, goats, sheep, horses, cattle, carabao or other domestic animals shall be allowed to run loose or be at large.
10 GCA § 35101, first sentence · Checked
Common questions
- Do I have to register backyard chickens in Guam?
- Registration: not established. The finding covers: Guam's Keeping Animals law (10 GCA Chapter 34, Article 2), the plant and animal quarantine law (5 GCA Chapter 61, Article 1) and the animal disease rules (9 GAR Chapter 2), read on November 2, 2026. Outside this finding's scope: No registration duty aimed at backyard poultry keepers was found in the sections read (10 GCA §§ 34201–34210; 5 GCA §§ 61101–61110; 9 GAR §§ 2100, 2102, 2112 and 2115). This is not proof that no duty exists.
- Can I keep chickens in my backyard in Guam?
- The sources we read don't settle it, and we haven't identified who decides. Check your local rules before you get hens.
- Do I have to keep my hens indoors for bird flu in Guam?
- Housing orders come and go, so we never show one as current. We haven't confirmed an official current-status page for it.
Allowed where you live? Then keep the records.
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