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Saratoga Springs council votes 4-0 to ban roosters citywide
Summary
After a public hearing marked by neighborhood complaints about noise, health and property impacts, the City Council amended the animal code to prohibit keeping roosters anywhere in the city; code enforcement will allow a 60-day rehoming period and staff will help locate placement options.
The Saratoga Springs City Council voted 4-0 to amend Chapter 101, Section 101-20 of the city code to prohibit keeping roosters anywhere in the city.
The change, approved after a public hearing, removes the long-standing allowance that had permitted roosters outside the city’s inside district. Council members recorded the 4-0 tally without abstentions.
Supporters who spoke at the hearing said roosters in residential neighborhoods cause persistent noise and pose public-health concerns. “This constant crowing of roosters is disrupting the peace on the street on a daily basis,” said Adrian Shanti, who also submitted an audio recording documenting daily crowing and described a coop sited inches from his fence. Dennis (last name not specified), a resident and a licensed veterinary technician, said he was worried about avian influenza and said the coop encroached on neighbors’ yards. Resident Dave (last name not specified) said the noise was hurting his ability to sleep and could affect property values.
Not all public comments urged the ban. One speaker argued that city life inevitably involves noise and warned that removing animals from homes can overload shelters. “If those animals are not adopted, they are put in an oven and incinerated,” the speaker said, urging caution about removal policies; the remark was part of broader testimony opposing stricter animal-removal penalties.
The council discussed implementation details before the vote. Officials said the amended ordinance would prohibit roosters citywide but that the city’s code department would provide a 60-day period for current owners to rehome roosters that emerge unexpectedly (for example, when a young bird is later identified as male). The council also said staff would compile a list of rehoming resources and provide the list to affected residents.
A local lawyer who spoke during the public hearing noted that a provision addressing roosters has existed in Saratoga Springs’ code for roughly 110 years and asked the council to weigh whether the original aims and hours in that ordinance remain appropriate for modern life.
The city clerk’s office will publish the text of the amended ordinance and the effective date; council members said their intent was immediate citywide prohibition with the 60-day accommodation for existing roosters.
