Senate agriculture committee votes to print bill allowing limited backyard chickens

Senator Tammy Nichols of District 10 presented RS 31,970, a print hearing request proposing statewide minimum standards for residential chicken ownership, to the Idaho Senate Agriculture Committee. The committee voted by voice to send the resolution to print.

The measure would allow property owners to keep up to four chickens on lots of two-tenths of an acre, exclude multifamily properties and agricultural zones, and preserve local control for counties, cities and homeowners associations. “This legislation supports urban agriculture in Idaho by setting just clear minimum standards for residential chicken ownership,” Nichols said, adding that the proposal promotes food security and protects property rights.

Committee members asked for clarifications. Senator Taylor asked what the term “small scale livestock” covers; Nichols said the existing code definition typically pertains to animals such as rabbits and chickens. Senator Lakey recounted a past local incident to underscore the need for clarity about whether larger animals (for example, cows) would be allowed under similar language and said he would follow up as the bill moves forward.

After the presentation and Q&A, Senator Leahy moved to send RS 31,970 to print. A second was recorded but not named in the transcript; the committee approved the motion by voice vote (ayes; no recorded nays), and the motion carried.

The print action advances the proposal to the next procedural step (formal printing and scheduling for further committee consideration and public hearing). No formal ordinance or statutory text was enacted at this meeting; the committee only voted to print the resolution for future consideration.