Council debates loose chickens, animal-control rules; staff dispatched code enforcer
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Sign Up Free
Summary
Council members discussed repeated reports of loose chickens in New Carlisle, legal limits under the Ohio Revised Code and next steps; staff said a code enforcer was dispatched and that a code rewrite could address recurring problems.
Council members raised repeated complaints about loose chickens running in New Carlisle neighborhoods and discussed enforcement options and relevant state law during the June 16 meeting.
A council member opened the discussion saying, "Loose chickens in town are becoming about as big as loose dogs in town. And right now, chickens are considered livestock," and cited incidents reported at Applewood and Leatherwood. Several council members said they had observed chickens loose in the morning and that it is difficult to trace ownership in order to enforce existing ordinances.
City Manager told council that Councilwoman Eggleston had called about the loose chickens and that he "immediately dispatched our code enforcer to go investigate," but staff were unable to locate animals that morning and could not identify a specific residence.
Council called for clarification of state law. The law director reported that the statute "authorizes that the person can kill a dog. It doesn't say they're required to," explaining the statute gives an option in livestock-protection situations rather than a mandate to put down animals. Council members stressed deputies would not be instructed to shoot pets for loose chickens and noted enforcement should follow state law.
No ordinance change was passed at the meeting. Council discussed that the city's pending code-rewrite project and bids from outside consultants could provide an opportunity to tighten or clarify the municipal ordinance language on keeping chickens and domestic animals confined. Staff were directed to continue enforcement investigations, and council members suggested outreach to property owners in areas where animals are repeatedly found loose.
Council members also compared the relative risk of loose chickens to loose dogs and discussed the practicality of registering chickens; one council member said registration felt unnecessary, while others asked staff to consider registration or clearer rules as part of the code rewrite. The city manager and code enforcer will continue investigative work and bring recommended ordinance language back to council if appropriate.