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Chesapeake Beach commission asks staff to study allowing backyard chickens after resident interest
Summary
Following a resident social-media post and public discussion, commissioners asked staff to research how other Maryland jurisdictions regulate backyard chickens — including lot-size rules, limits on hens and roosters, health and nuisance considerations — and to return recommendations to the commission.
At its March 26, 2025 meeting, the Chesapeake Beach Planning and Zoning Commission added a discussion of backyard chickens to its agenda and instructed staff to prepare a research report on possible ordinance changes allowing backyard hens under defined conditions.
Why it matters: residents raised the issue on social media and commissioners said the topic intersects zoning, public-health and noise rules. Changing the town’s approach could expand urban agriculture options for homeowners but may require coordination with other local codes (noise, animal-control, health) and review of homeowner association restrictions.
Commissioner Rachel Weaver introduced the item after noting a Facebook post that prompted community interest. "Annapolis, Howard County, including Columbia and Ellicott City, Baltimore City, Frederick, Rockville, all of them allow chickens in town limits with specific regulations," Weaver said, describing the range of approaches other Maryland jurisdictions have adopted. Weaver said typical municipal limits allow about four to six hens and prohibit roosters; she also noted Calvert County’s stricter, three-acre requirement for poultry.
Planning staff cautioned that the issue touches multiple municipal codes and that a full recommendation should identify where companion ordinance changes might be required. "Backyard chickens is not just a planning and zoning ordinance," a staff member said; "there might be noise, part of the noise ordinance, and anything around health and safety. So I think it would make sense to communicate to the town council that you're considering it," the planner advised.
Commissioners discussed practical constraints and possible guardrails: minimum lot sizes, maximum number of hens, a prohibition on roosters, coop setbacks, predator protection and whether homeowners’ associations could ban poultry regardless of town law. Commissioners also noted enforcement and animal-welfare issues (coops, feed and predator risk) and said costs and effort for proper coops and care are often higher than residents expect.
Direction from the dais: commissioners asked staff to compile examples of existing municipal ordinances, summarize lot-size and hen-number approaches (examples cited in discussion included Baltimore City allowing up to four hens on very small lots and Howard County allowing up to eight hens on lots of 10,000 square feet or more), and identify related enforcement or health statutes. The commission did not adopt any rule at the March 26 meeting; instead it voted to add the topic to the agenda and requested a staff report for a future meeting.
Ending: staff said it will prepare a comparative report and draft proposed conditions if the commission wishes to move forward; commissioners invited interested residents to attend future meetings and provide input in writing or in person.
