Council discusses draft backyard-chicken rules; staff to draft ordinance for public hearing

City councilors discussed a proposed ordinance to allow backyard chickens in certain residential areas and directed staff to draft a zoning amendment for future public hearings.

A staff member said the conversation grew out of a resident request for rules similar to those in neighboring cities and suggested a simple approach: permit a small number of birds on lots under a half-acre and larger numbers on properties that exceed that size. “Right now, we have over half acre. It’s 25. Anything under, just pick 4 or 6,” the staff member said while summarizing an internal draft for the council.

The staff-led outline that drew the most support would allow a modest number of hens on single-family lots (council discussion suggested 3–6 birds as the likely range), bar roosters in denser areas and require containment and nuisance-related code enforcement. For larger lots — the staff example used a 0.5-acre threshold — the draft would allow more birds (the county code in circulation caps such lots at 25 birds, a figure councilors mentioned as an upper bound). The staff member and councilors also discussed using a square-footage sliding scale tied to additional birds and basic sanitation and fencing requirements.

City attorneys and planning staff noted the ordinance would require a public hearing and, because it affects land use and zoning, would go through the planning commission before returning to the council. Gary (city staff) said the planning and zoning process normally includes public notice and that the final decision would follow normal land‑use procedures.

Councilors directed staff to draft specific ordinance language, including proposed numeric limits and a permitting approach, and to bring the draft to planning for review and a public hearing. No formal ordinance or vote was taken at the meeting.