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Fulton council forwards ordinance to allow hens in most yards; clarifies limits per lot size
Summary
Council voted to move Bill 17-48, a code amendment limiting livestock and fowl, to the next reading. The proposal would permit hens only and generally allows up to six chickens on parcels under one acre and a per-acre allowance for larger lots; officials said homeowners associations and state law questions will be clarified before final adoption.
Councilman Hinchey read Bill 17-48, an ordinance amending Fulton City Code chapter 14 to set limits on livestock and fowl and moved that it be placed on the next regular meeting’s reading.
The ordinance as presented would allow hens only (no roosters) and sets a per-lot limit that the council summarized as up to six chickens for parcels under one acre and a higher per-acre allowance for larger tracts (the draft text refers to 10 chickens per acre as the per-acre measure). Council members asked for and were promised written clarification on how homeowner association covenants interact with the city code, referencing recent state legislation that council members said altered HOA powers.
Councilman Combs asked whether homeowners associations could override the ordinance; a council member noted that “Missouri passed a law last year” affecting HOAs and said staff would provide written clarification before final adoption. Council members also clarified that the draft specifies hens only and described the counting method as per “tract land.”
After discussion, the council voted to place Bill 17-48 on the agenda for reading at the next regularly scheduled council meeting; that action advances the ordinance for further consideration but is not final adoption.
The mayor and council said staff will provide a written explanation about HOA limits and the bill’s per-lot/per-acre calculation ahead of the next reading.
Votes at the meeting on the motion to move the bill to the next reading were taken by voice and recorded as in favor with no opposition noted; final tallies for adoption were not taken.
The council will consider the ordinance language and the staff-supplied HOA clarification at a future meeting before any final vote.
