Commission recommends code change to add miniature horses to medium farm-animal category and clarify standards

KAYSVILLE — Following a public hearing and months of work with the applicant, the Kaysville Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve changes to Title 17 (farm animals and definitions) to add miniature horses to the medium farm-animal category and to clarify related definitions and yard/structure rules.

Background: The text amendment was submitted by resident/applicant Ben Wilson after a code-enforcement complaint and subsequent conditional-use application for farm animals at 558 East Center. Staff and the applicant researched how other jurisdictions categorize smaller equines and proposed updated definitions for miniature horses, small, medium and large farm animals, and a simplified animal-allowance table that removes confusing lot-size sub-rows below the city’s 4,000-square-foot minimum.

Key changes recommended to City Council

- Add a clear definition for a "miniature horse" and place it in the medium farm-animal category (alongside sheep, goats and llamas) based on size, weight and waste-production comparisons provided by the applicant’s research. - Simplify the table of permitted animals to remove redundant rows and clarify that the 4,000-square-foot baseline applies before per-animal allowances. - Modify the yard/structure regulation language to require that any animal structures be sited at least 50 feet from dwellings on adjacent lots (staff cited this requirement in the packet). - Require applicants for farm-animal conditional uses to submit a nuisance-abatement plan describing how odor, pests (flies/rodents), noise, dust and drainage will be controlled so they do not constitute a nuisance; commissioners agreed this plan should be submitted with the CUP application and be enforceable if conditions arise.

Public input: Several neighbors and an adjacent property owner spoke during the public hearing. One neighbor who had filed the original complaint said he no longer opposed the application after staff and the applicant clarified maintenance and waste removal practices. Other commenters asked whether changes to the farm-animal table would affect pet rules (staff clarified that domestic pets such as dogs and cats are regulated under a separate chapter) and suggested clarifying language on pests and nuisance enforcement.

Outcome and next steps: The commission voted to recommend approval to the City Council with the modifications discussed at the meeting (including adding explicit language on pests and asking staff to standardize phrasing such as using "dwellings" rather than "all buildings predominantly used by humans"). The item will be scheduled for City Council consideration; staff said it aims to present the council with a final draft for the February 6 meeting.