Council asks staff to draft ordinance to allow backyard hens with permitting, inspections and limits

Blue Springs City Council on March 17 directed staff to draft an ordinance to allow backyard hens under defined conditions. Council members said they wanted to create a permitting and inspection structure that would protect neighbors while allowing residents to keep a small number of hens.

Why it matters: Backyard poultry has been a recurring, sometimes contentious issue in Blue Springs. Council sought to strike a balance that allows small-scale noncommercial ownership while reducing complaints about loose birds, odors and rodents.

What council asked staff to draft - Scope: Proposals discussed would apply to single-family detached properties; duplexes, multifamily and commercial properties would be excluded unless council specifies otherwise. - Permit and inspection: Council asked for an annual permitting and inspection process (staff noted similar programs exist elsewhere, and recommended an implementation window so the city can build permitting and inspection procedures into its online and enforcement systems). - Coop and run specifications: Council requested lowering the maximum coop height from 10 feet to 8 feet and clarifying language so the ordinance consistently uses defined terms (coop/henhouse/run/pen). Meeting commenters asked staff to set reasonable minimum space per hen (commenters recommended at least 4 square feet per full-size hen) and to avoid creating rework where residents must rebuild coops when flock size changes. - Noncommercial use and waste handling: Council asked staff to explicitly clarify that noncommercial uses (keeping hens for personal eggs/education) do not include selling eggs or processing meat on-site. Staff was asked to include clear rules about feed and composting to avoid food-scrap dumping that can attract rodents. - Implementation timing: Staff estimated it would take approximately 90–120 days after passage to implement permitting, inspection and online processes; council set an effective date window rather than immediate effect so residents have time to comply if the ordinance is adopted.

Council action: The motion to direct staff to prepare the ordinance (with items discussed above) passed by roll call (Tholen aye; Rommel aye; Erickson no; Kaler no; Edmondson aye; Culpepper aye; Mayor Levesque aye). Staff said they would draft the ordinance modeled in part on recent ordinances adopted by peer cities and would return for council consideration.

Ending: Council directed staff to draft the ordinance and to return with proposed language and an implementation timetable for council approval; council did not adopt any final text at this meeting.