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Washington council leans toward allowing backyard hens with objective rules
Summary
After public comment and council discussion, members directed staff to prepare sample ordinances to allow limited residential hens (no roosters) under objective conditions—proposed items include coop size, setbacks, fencing, and making the use permitted rather than special-use.
Council members in Washington signaled a shift March 10 toward permitting limited residential chickens after public testimony and staff background on a prior ordinance.
A resident urged reinstating backyard hens to support local food, composting and sustainability, saying proper inspection and fees would ensure compliance. Alderman Martin said he favors allowing hens and questioned whether the city can prohibit a single chicken; staff reminded the council that the earlier 2019 ordinance was rescinded in 2020 amid concerns about subjective special-use decisions.
Council discussion focused on creating objective, uniformly applied standards rather than a complaint-driven special-use process. Planning staff flagged that past approvals required a special-use hearing at the planning commission and that objections often led to denials. Council members proposed options suggested by staff or drawn from other municipalities: limit coops (previous language capped coop+run at 60 square feet), require placement in rear yards, establish setbacks (example: 10 feet from side/rear property lines and 25 feet from neighboring structures), require opaque fencing of a specified height, and exclude roosters.
Several members said the goal would be a permitted use with clear criteria so applicants who meet standards are automatically approved; others recommended trial periods or geographic/lot-size thresholds (half-acre or distance-based rules) to limit impacts. "If you met each and every one of those regulations you would be approved through it instead of having to go through a special use process," a staff member explained.
Next steps: Council asked staff to draft several sample ordinance approaches (permitted-use standards, setback and coop-size options, potential fee structure and enforcement language) and circulate them to members for feedback ahead of a future meeting.
