It really depends on where you live, everywhere has different laws so its always a good idea to look up the animal ordinances where you live.
Where we lived when we first got chickens the city allowed them by exclusion. Meaning chickens were allowed by virtue of the fact that there was no law...
I'm sorry you felt I replied with attitude, that was not my intent. But when you wrote "what I'm hearing" I mistook that sarcasm for misunderstanding. My mistake. I am glad to hear that you are looking into ensuring that your coop will have adequate space for your birds.
As an aside, you may...
The generally accepted recommended MINIMUM space allotment for chickens is 4sq ft/bird in the coop and 10sq ft/bird in the run. But that's minimum, the smallest amount recommended, and if you have room for more its better for the birds if you can give them that extra space.
The run is big...