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Workshop canvasses livestock rules: setbacks, minimum acreage and chicken questions
Summary
Staff described a range of livestock rules used by nearby jurisdictions — including 100-foot setbacks from dwellings and minimum pen areas (cited example: 2,500 sq ft) — and said those standards would likely exclude many suburban lots from keeping chickens.
City staff reviewed how other municipalities regulate livestock at a Jan. 20 workshop and council discussed whether Cleveland should adopt clearer rules on horses, cows and backyard chickens.
Unidentified Speaker 5 said ordinances vary: some allow livestock only with a minimum acreage and setback from dwellings, while others include zoning restrictions. Speaker 6 and staff cited a common benchmark of a 100-foot setback from where people sleep, eat or dwell and noted a referenced minimum enclosure size of about 2,500 square feet for livestock pens.
Unidentified Speaker 3 relayed resident questions about new development adjacent to established rural properties, asking whether cows and horses could be on properties behind new homes and whether smaller suburban lots would meet setback requirements. On backyard chickens, staff said the 100-foot guideline would make them difficult to permit on typical smaller lots: "If they have a lot that's only 60 feet wide, they cannot have chickens," Speaker 3 summarized.
No ordinance change was adopted; staff indicated the existing ordinance structure would likely eliminate many suburban-style lots from having livestock and will bring draft language if council decides to pursue amendments.
