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Council debates rewritten animal code; members seek advisory vote on backyard poultry
Summary
Bellbrook council reviewed a redraft of Chapter 6.18 of the municipal code to regulate animals, clarify definitions (including small livestock and poultry), and directed staff to consult the county board of elections about holding an advisory ballot on allowing backyard poultry beyond rabbits.
Council members continued a months‑long review Monday of a revised Chapter 6.18 of the Bellbrook Municipal Code, a rewrite staff said is intended to clarify animal definitions, address nuisance standards and set limits on livestock and poultry in residential areas.
Staff described the draft as a working document that relies on definitions from state law and other official sources. “Everything that you see in red is new,” a staff member said, adding the draft draws definitions from the Ohio Revised Code and state agencies to avoid reinventing technical definitions. The draft narrows allowable animals in residential parcels and links some allowances to zoning rules and parcel size.
A central point of debate was the definition of “small livestock,” which the draft had defined to include…
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