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Dardenne Prairie amends animal ordinance, clarifying 1-acre minimum for chickens
Summary
The Board of Aldermen adopted Bill 25-28 as amended to clarify section 205.085 governing domesticated animals, replacing a 10,000-square-foot reference with a 1-acre standard for chicken ownership in R-1A zoning. Council said the change clarifies, not broadens, existing rules.
DARDENNE PRAIRIE, Mo. — The Dardenne Prairie Board of Aldermen voted to amend and adopt Bill 25-28 to clarify the city's domesticated-animals rules, specifying a 1-acre minimum for chicken ownership in R-1A zoning.
City Attorney (unnamed in transcript) read the ordinance as amending section 205.085 of the municipal code and asked the board to approve an amendment replacing the ordinance's 10,000-square-foot reference with a 1-acre standard. "We would take a motion to amend 10,000 square foot in subsection C(2) to 1 acre," the city attorney said during the discussion. Alderman Johnson moved the amendment; Alderman Detwiler seconded it and the motion carried.
Mayor (unnamed in transcript) and other aldermen framed the change as a clarification of existing zoning rather than a new expansion of backyard poultry rights. The mayor said the intent was "to clarify what was already there" and to correct confusing language that referenced both R-1A zoning and a separate 10,000-square-foot threshold. Board members discussed questions about whether existing coops would be grandfathered; the mayor noted that coops not in compliance previously "shouldn't have been in the first place," and staff said the amendment is meant to make the code's operation clearer.
The final ordinance, as amended, passed on a roll-call vote. Council members and staff said they will handle cases of currently noncompliant coops on an ad hoc basis, including inspections and any enforcement actions required by existing code.
What's next: The city will publish the amended ordinance text and follow customary compliance and enforcement processes. For residents with specific questions, staff indicated they will provide guidance on a case-by-case basis.
