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Resident petition for backyard chickens draws council attention; members express caution
Summary
Organizer Rebecca Hamilton delivered 471 signatures seeking a change to Mooresville’s ordinance to allow backyard chickens. Council members said they will consider next steps but expressed enforcement and nuisance concerns.
Rebecca Hamilton, who returned to the council after a prior visit, told the June 3 meeting she has gathered 471 signatures asking the town to change its ordinance to allow backyard chickens within town limits; she said about 40% of signatures are from Mooresville residents and that roughly half of the total are from Morgan County.
Hamilton noted Martinsville and Mooresville are among local towns that currently disallow backyard chickens, and she said Brooklyn changed its rules about 10 years ago. She asked what steps the council would need to take to revise the ordinance and said she would welcome council direction.
Council members thanked Hamilton for returning and for organizing signatures but voiced caution. Several members said they are concerned about current problems enforcing property‑maintenance ordinances and warned that permitting backyard poultry could exacerbate enforcement burdens and nuisance complaints if not tightly regulated. One councilor suggested the town study other jurisdictions’ approaches to flock limits, owner‑occupancy requirements and enforcement mechanisms.
The council did not take an immediate vote or set a timeline; town staff said the prior public comment had been noted and that the council would discuss the matter further during council comments or at a future agenda if members so direct.
