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Frederick County approves backyard-chicken zoning change for R4 and R5 neighborhoods
Summary
The Frederick County Board of Supervisors voted to amend the county zoning ordinance to allow up to six hens (no roosters) as an accessory use in R4 and R5 residential districts, with a three-month delay before implementation to allow homeowner associations time to respond.
The Frederick County Board of Supervisors voted to amend the county zoning ordinance on May 14 to allow backyard chickens — up to six hens and no roosters — as an accessory use in the R4 and R5 residential zoning districts, with the ordinance’s implementation delayed three months to give homeowner associations (HOAs) time to consider their own rules.
The change lifts a county-level prohibition in those suburban zoning districts and adds conditions including coop setbacks, storage requirements for feed and waste, and a definition of “chicken coop.” County planning staff said HOAs and private covenants would still apply and be enforceable by the association, not the county.
County planning staff outlined the amendment during a public hearing. “Chickens shall not run at large,”…
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