For many horse owners around the United States, the concept of being able to keep their horses at home is a foreign one. Owners in areas of the country where real estate is prime and expensive often keep their horses at boarding facilities. And those are typically the owners who dream of one day having a backyard barn to keep their horses as they enter retirement.

If you are planning on buying or building a home in a prime real estate area where acreage availability is minimal, you will likely need to be concerned with zoning laws if you are considering keeping horses on your property. If you buy or start building without checking zoning laws, you could be in for some heartache.

Zoning laws determine the number of horses you may keep on your property. And, though many horse owners disagree, those zoning requirements give equal weight to horses, ponies or minis. In other words, if the zoning requires that only two horse may be kept per ½ acre, that also means only two minis or two ponies. It does not mean that if the animal is smaller, you can have more.

Zoning laws not only determine how many horses you can keep per acreage but also where your barn and turnout are situated as well as dimensions in your barn.

For example, a town in Long Island, New York,  requires that no more than two equines be housed per ½ acre of land. Additionally, the town requires a stable of 50 square feet with stall dividing walls of each four feet in height. Plus, the barn must be located more than 50 feet away from your house. And the barn must be located behind the house and no less than 10 feet from the property line. So, if you build your house too far back on the property, even if you have the acreage, you may not have the room or setup to build a barn to town specification.

The zoning law also requires at minimum 400 square footage paddocks or corrals per horse enclosed by fencing no less than 5 feet high.

The zoning requirements for this town also describe the type of storage required for manure and where it can be located in relation to property line. Additionally, the town requires horses not be left unattended in the front or side yards, and must have feed stored in rodent-proof containers.

Other towns in other states also have similar zoning requirements, so if you plan to build or buy to have your horses on your property, ensure that your setup will meeting zoning requirements and you and your horses will have a lovely new home to enjoy for many years!