This study was conducted to determine the concentrations of heavy metals, namely lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and chromium (Cr), in local and imported chicken meat collected from poultry farms and commercial markets in western Tripoli, Libya, and to evaluate their compliance with permissible limits established by local and international food safety standards. Forty random samples were collected from thigh and breast muscles of both local and imported chickens. The samples were prepared using wet acid digestion and analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (GF-AAS). The results showed that the mean concentration of lead was below the detection limit in all examined samples. The mean cadmium concentrations in thigh muscles of local and imported chickens were 0.136 and 0.067 mg/kg, respectively, while cadmium levels in breast muscles were below the detection limit of the instrument. Copper showed mean concentrations of 0.039 and 0.013 mg/kg in thigh muscles, and 0.036 and 0.018 mg/kg in breast muscles of local and imported chickens, respectively. Chromium recorded the highest mean concentration in thigh muscles of local chickens (0.415 mg/kg) compared to imported chickens (0.010 mg/kg), whereas it was below the detection limit in breast muscles. No statistically significant differences were observed between the different samples at the significance level (P < 0.05). The results indicate that all measured elements were within the permissible limits locally (Pb = 0.05 mg/kg, Cd = 0.1 mg/kg) and internationally (Pb = 0.5 mg/kg, Cd = 0.1 mg/kg, Cu = 0.4 mg/kg, Cr = 1.0 mg/kg), suggesting that both local and imported chicken meat marketed in the study area is safe for consumption with respect to the investigated heavy metals. It is also noteworthy that all element concentrations were lower in breast muscles, reflecting the high chemical safety quality of this tissue.................. Keywords:.................... Heavy metals; Local and imported chicken; Lead and cadmium; Copper and chromium; Food safety; Tripoli, Libya.