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Topeka staff propose limits on backyard chickens; committee asks for refinements, delays vote
Summary
Animal-control staff proposed an amendment to Topeka’s animal ordinance to limit and permit backyard chickens and roosters, citing noise, sanitation and disease concerns; the Policy & Finance Committee asked for clearer enforcement plans, placement resources and peer-city comparisons and deferred a vote to a future meeting.
Jessica Bowers, supervisor for animal control for the City of Topeka, outlined proposed changes to the city’s animal ordinance on Nov. 12 that would add a permit and numeric limits for chickens and roosters and tighten definitions for enclosed pens.
Bowers told the Policy & Finance Committee that the existing ordinance requires coops to be 50 feet from neighbors but does not cap the number of birds. She said calls for fowl-related complaints rose in recent years and that staff recorded roughly 145 fowl-related calls in 2024 and about 127 through September 2025, though she cautioned the…
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