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Residents press planning commission on tree-replacement rules, hobby farms and chicken limits
Summary
At the Jan. 12 meeting, residents asked whether tree-replacement rules apply to individual homeowners and whether the new 'hobby farm' use changes limits for chickens. Staff said subdivision-level tree-replacement applies to land development/subdivision activity, while domestic chicken provisions remain separate and may still limit chickens to 10 in some conditions.
Residents raised detailed practical questions during the public-comment portion of the Hampton Township Planning Commission meeting about how the draft ordinance would affect individual property owners.
Pierre Lafont, who identified himself as a new resident at 4077 Clarkland Avenue, asked whether accessory actions (for example adding a shed or cleaning up a yard) would trigger replacement-tree requirements. The presenter and staff clarified that tree-replacement and some SALDO provisions apply primarily to land developments and subdivision reviews where new lots or infrastructure are created. "If you're just putting up an accessory structure, you're talking about something that's a zoning permit or a building permit," a staff member said, noting that subdivision-level requirements generally are triggered by lot creation or major site work.
Lafont also asked whether his nine-acre property with chickens would fall under the new hobby-farm provision and whether hobby-farm rules would supersede the township’s domestic chicken-keeping rules. Meeting participants explained the hobby-farm definition is intended for accessory, personal agricultural uses on parcels that meet the acreage standard, but the township’s domestic chicken-keeping provisions remain a separate section. The domestic-chicken rules discussed in the meeting include a maximum of 10 chickens in certain circumstances and a prohibition on roosters in some cases; staff said they expect that domestic chicken provisions would continue to apply unless specifically amended later.
On animal limits and enforcement, the presenter noted the township must also consider any limits imposed by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and suggested staff and legal counsel will need to confirm the township’s regulatory boundaries before proposing numeric animal limits linked to lot size. "I honestly would have to talk to our legal counsel just in terms of what they know of the case law and the Department of Agriculture's regulations," a staff member said in response to questions about numeric limits.
Several members suggested property owners with specific concerns make an appointment with township staff to get property-specific guidance rather than seeking definitive decisions during the public hearing. Staff agreed to be available for appointments and to help clarify application of the rules for individual lots.
What this means: Homeowners doing routine single-family work (sheds, small accessory structures) will generally continue to use building or zoning permits and are not automatically subject to subdivision-level tree-replacement requirements. Larger projects that create new lots or change infrastructure may trigger the subdivision standards described in the SALDO draft. For animal-keeping, the domestic chicken rules remain enforceable as written in the draft; whether hobby-farm language changes those numeric limits was not resolved and may require legal review or later amendment.
Next step: Residents with specific property questions were advised to schedule appointments with township staff; staff also said they will document property postings when the council public hearing is noticed.
