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Bartlett approves animal-control ordinance changes, removes numeric chicken cap
Summary
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen adopted Ordinance 25‑07 on third reading, amending Title 10 animal-control code; staff said the draft removes a per-resident limit on backyard chickens and relies on nuisance and animal-control enforcement instead.
The Bartlett Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 5–1 on Dec. 9 to adopt Ordinance 25‑07, an amendment to the city’s animal-control code (Title 10, Chapters 1–2) that removes a numeric per‑resident limit on chickens and clarifies enforcement standards.
Attorney/staff Aldara Quinn told the board the provision limiting the number of chickens per resident was removed after public comment and board input. Quinn said, “we went ahead and removed the provision that limited the number of chickens that residents could have on their property,” and added that enforcement will rely on nuisance provisions and animal-control responses when neighbors complain.
The ordinance retains prohibitions on animals running at large and on coops or conditions that create foul odors or rodent issues. Quinn explained that Tennessee law supplies objective meanings for terms used in the code — such as “excessive” and “unreasonable” clutter — and said those standards guide multi‑animal permit decisions: “Would a reasonable person viewing these conditions find them to be excessively cluttered or unreasonably cluttered,” she said.
Board members asked how invisible or electric fencing would be assessed; Quinn said existing invisible fencing would not automatically be deemed noncompliant but that new installations would be reviewed when animal-control officers investigate running-at-large complaints. She noted signage requirements remain in the ordinance.
During discussion, a member asked whether the city could prohibit retail pet stores from selling cats and dogs; staff pointed to the draft’s prohibition on sales at roadside or public rights-of-way and referenced existing subsections (10‑1‑13) that govern retail sales in parking lots and other public spaces. The board did not adopt a wholesale ban on pet-store sales at this meeting.
After questions and a called vote, the ordinance passed on third reading, 5–1. The measure will take effect according to the city’s usual ordinance-adoption timeline.
