Chaska council adopts ordinance allowing backyard chickens with 20-foot home setback and two‑year license

CHASKA, Minn. — The City of Chaska City Council on Monday adopted Ordinance 2025-1062 to allow backyard chickens within city limits, setting rules on numbers, location, permitting and enforcement.

The ordinance permits up to five chickens per property, requires a one-time $100 permit fee and pre-permit inspection, and prohibits the sale of eggs and poultry. The council amended the proposed ordinance to add a 20-foot minimum distance from any neighboring principal residence and to set the license term at two years with a $50 renewal fee.

Why it matters: The ordinance creates a citywide regulatory framework for keeping poultry in single-family neighborhoods, while explicitly preserving the authority of homeowners associations and private covenants to restrict chickens on their properties. That creates a mix of city-level permission and private controls that may produce different outcomes neighborhood by neighborhood.

Staff presentation and key provisions Elise (staff member) told the council the draft draws on a 2021 proposal and a city work session in April. She described…