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Resident proposes allowing backyard chickens; city attorney and staff ask for enforcement and cost analysis
Summary
Resident June McCarty proposed a permit-based backyard-chicken ordinance (4–6 hens, no roosters, setback and coop rules). City Attorney Wanko and code enforcement raised enforcement and fiscal concerns; commissioners asked staff to research municipal impacts and return with recommendations.
June McCarty, a Dickinson resident, presented a detailed proposal during the commission’s July 9 work session to allow backyard chickens within city limits under a permit system.
"I'm proposing a backyard chicken model for the city of Dickinson because I've experienced a significant gap in resources when unprecedented times show themselves," McCarty said, framing the proposal as a measure to increase local food resilience. Her plan recommended allowing 4 to 6 hens per single-family household, no roosters, a permit with a one-time application fee plus an annual renewal fee, a minimum backyard size of 5,000 square feet, coop setbacks (minimum 5 feet from…
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