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Bethel Park to review ordinance after resident reports enforcement over backyard ducks
Summary
A resident told council she and her family feel targeted by code enforcement over backyard ducks; council said it has put the ordinance change on hold and will review regulations at a committee meeting.
Joy Baldon, a Bethel Park resident who gave her address as 2905 Greenwell Road, told council during public comment on Oct. 13 that her family has felt "targeted" by code enforcement after receiving violation notices over keeping ducks.
Baldon said she checked the borough ordinance before acquiring the ducks and found no prohibition. She told council that code enforcement later told her staff considered ducks a "gallonaceous valve species," a description Baldon said is not scientifically correct. She also said an alleged ordinance change in September to include ducks led to a subsequent violation notice. Baldon said her family submitted a manure management plan that was approved by the county Department of Environmental Protection and that she wants written confirmation that her household is not in violation.
Council responded that it has "put the ordinance on hold" and will review related policies and regulations at an upcoming committee meeting. Council did not give a date for that committee review during the meeting.
The matter was raised in the public comment portion of the Oct. 13 meeting; Baldon asked for an end to what she described as ongoing harassment and said she has lost trust in the municipality and council. The transcript shows council leadership told Baldon the ordinance is on hold and staff will review procedures at committee, but no formal vote or deadline for written confirmation was recorded.
Context and next steps: Baldon said she was referred to county and state authorities and that her manure plan has been approved by the county. She also said neighbors and others posted about the enforcement on social media and that she has not received the written confirmation she requested. Council’s statement that the ordinance is on hold signals a staff-level review and possible changes to borough regulations; the meeting did not record a formal motion, vote, or a timeline for that review.
Community impact: The issue affects residents who keep backyard fowl, code enforcement procedures, and the borough’s animal-control regulations. Council said it will review policies, which could lead to clarified guidance or ordinance changes at a future committee or public meeting.
