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Brigham City expands where residents may keep backyard fowl, sets limits and exclusions
Summary
Council amended the city code to allow household fowl (chickens and select species) in the R-16 and central business single-family areas with numeric limits, permit changes and specific exclusions for certain large or aggressive birds.
Brigham City council voted Jan. 16 to amend city code to allow household fowl on some single-family properties in more zones and to update permit and lot-size rules.
The ordinance changes add the R-16 district and single-family properties in the central business district to the sections of code that permit keeping fowl, replace the word "chickens" with "fowl," increase base allowable counts for small lots and set higher maximums tied to lot square footage. The amendment also removes a previous temporary-permit category, replacing it with a one-time permit process and clarifies setback and enclosure requirements intended to prevent birds from encroaching on neighboring properties.
What is not allowed: the changes explicitly exclude male chickens (roosters) and list certain species that remain prohibited, including guineafowl, emu, ostrich, peacock and turkey. The planning commission considered whether to include geese and swans; council discussion noted geese and swans can be aggressive and the council chose not to include them in the approved exemptions.
Why it matters: planning staff and the planning commission told the council the allowance has been in place for similar zones without creating substantial compliance problems, and that the rewrite brings existing informal practices into code compliance. Staff said prior complaints were handled through code compliance and animal control rather than widespread enforcement actions.
Council action: the council voted to amend Title 15, Chapter 156, adopting the updated limits, definitions and permitting approach. The motion passed on roll call.
Next steps and compliance: staff said the new language clarifies when a pen must be enclosed and the distance required from property lines, and reiterated that releasing fowl on city property is prohibited. Residents already keeping fowl without a permit will be required to come into compliance under the updated code enforcement process.
