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Resident asks Tualatin to amend backyard-fowl code to permit flightless ducks
Summary
A resident asked council to update an 11-year-old backyard-chicken code to allow flightless ducks, saying neighboring cities permit ducks and requesting staff study whether the chicken rules can apply to runner ducks.
Kevin Mulvaney told the city council on July 12 that his family bought Indian runner ducks in May and was later contacted by code compliance after a neighbor complaint. He asked the council to review Tualatin's backyard-fowl code, which he said permits only chickens, and consider amending it to allow flightless duck breeds.
Mulvaney described the ducks as quiet, low-maintenance and nonflying, and said he and his family built an appropriate pen and have tried to comply with the chicken rule even though the code language, he said, does not explicitly include ducks. "They're kind of like giraffes in duck form," he told the council, describing Indian runner ducks' appearance.
He noted that nearby cities — Tigard, Lake Oswego and Wilsonville — allow ducks under varying restrictions and asked the city to "continue a conversation, to amend that city code to allow for flightless ducks so we don't have to get rid of our pets that we've cared for."
A city staff member responded that staff could send Mulvaney information and then decide whether to bring forward a formal discussion or code amendment. The staff reply in the meeting record said, "We can send you information about the we can send you some information and you could make a decision about whether we come forward with a discussion about it." No timetable or formal direction to begin a code amendment process was recorded.
The item was raised during public comment; no ordinance change or formal council vote occurred at the July 12 meeting.
