Washington Terrace adopts ordinance allowing urban chickens; council sets license fee

The Washington Terrace City Council on Jan. 21 adopted Ordinance 25-02, adding Chapter 17.86 to the municipal code to permit and regulate urban chickens within city limits. The council also approved Resolution 25-01 to amend the fiscal year 2025 fee schedule, setting a $75 initial licensing fee and a $25 renewal/reinspection fee every other year.

The ordinance creates licensing and inspection requirements and modifies earlier draft provisions. City staff reported edits that include an every-other-year renewal and inspection tied to the city fee schedule; allowing up to three chickens on lots under 6,000 square feet where the prior draft allowed two; and removing a duplicative 15-foot setback clause. City staff member Martin said, "So those are changes we made," when summarizing the revisions the council was voting on.

Council members said the measure follows more than two years of discussion and several public comments. Some council members raised objections to allowing chickens on smaller lots, arguing the regulation places an enforcement burden on city staff and could cause conflicts among neighbors. One councilmember pressed for an 8,000-square-foot minimum lot size, citing policies in neighboring cities; others said lot-size limitations would exclude a large portion of Washington Terrace property owners and that strict setback and maintenance rules would limit likely applicants.

The council voted to adopt the ordinance and then approved the fee resolution, which the staff said is intended to recover a modest portion of administrative costs while keeping the program accessible. The approved fee is $75 for an initial license; the renewal/reinspection fee will be $25 every other year. Council members said the fee schedule will only be finalized if the ordinance passed.

The ordinance specifies licensing, inspection and setback requirements; the council discussed enforcement and the practical number of residents likely to apply under the ordinance's limits. Staff said that if the ordinance passed, the fee schedule would be set to match the code and staff would handle inspections and any reinspection processes in accordance with the adopted city fee schedule.

Council members and staff noted the long legislative history: the subject has been before the council repeatedly over the past decade. The mayor declared the ordinance passed after roll-call voting concluded. The fee-resolution vote also passed by roll call later in the meeting.

The ordinance and fee resolution take immediate effect as adopted; staff said they will publish the finalized code chapter and the fee schedule and begin implementation steps, including setting inspection processes and public information for residents who wish to apply for licenses.