Residents press council to restore 75‑foot separation for chicken coops; planning commission set to review

Multiple residents told the North Ogden City Council on April 8 that recent changes to the city’s animal and accessory‑building provisions have created confusion and potential enforcement inconsistency for chicken coops.

Paul Magnuson, who identified himself as a North Ogden resident, asked the council to retain a 75‑foot separation from neighboring dwellings that had been in the 2018 code. Magnuson said older language required a coop be 75 feet from a neighboring dwelling and 20 feet from a property line; more recent language treats coops as accessory buildings with setbacks as small as three feet from a lot line but suggested a 75‑foot separation from a neighboring dwelling in some references. He told the council, “I would strongly suggest keeping that” 75‑foot standard because of noise and potential odor impacts.

Connie Eden, also a resident, echoed concerns and said she received conflicting printed guidance that included both 25‑foot and 75‑foot references. Eden said animal control told her the city would enforce the “greatest offense” (the larger setback) while staff responded the planning commission will review the land‑use ordinance to resolve inconsistencies.

City staff told the council the discrepancy appears to be a misreferenced provision between the land‑use code (Title 11) and the city code (Title 14). Planning director Scott Hess explained Title 11 contains a reference that reads 25 feet in one location whereas the rest of the code references 75 feet; staff recommended aligning the two codes. Hess said amending Title 11 requires the normal planning‑commission public‑hearing process followed by council review; Title 14 could be changed more quickly by council if desired.

Hess and the mayor told residents the planning commission is scheduled to discuss charts and proposed clarifications — staff suggested the planning commission would likely discuss the issue at its first May meeting and then make a recommendation to council.

In the interim, staff said code enforcement would continue to respond to complaints and that the police nonemergency or emergency dispatch remain the correct channels for immediate concerns. Council members said they want clarity for residents and instructed staff to bring corrected ordinance language and a recommended enforcement approach back through the planning commission and the council.