Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Control topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rockdale council discusses drafting ordinance to restrict roosters and confine hens
Summary
Council discussed drafting an ordinance in response to resident complaints about rooster noise and free-roaming chickens; staff said state law prevents prohibiting hens but allows regulation of roosters, distances and confinement, and council directed staff to return with draft options.
Rockdale Mayor Rodham opened a discussion on regulating chickens and other fowl after council members and residents reported repeated complaints about roaming birds and rooster noise.
“It's the noise of roosters and the complaints that I'm receiving from citizens who have neighbors with roosters,” Mayor Rodham said, explaining the prompt for the discussion. Council members reported sanitation and safety concerns, with one council member describing instances of dead chickens and repeated animal-control calls in parts of town.
Veronica Rivera, assistant city attorney with the Knight Law Firm, told the council what the city can and cannot do under state law. “You can't prohibit hens,” she said, “but you can prohibit roosters. You can regulate distances, the numbers, and where they can be located on a property.” Rivera added the city could draft rules on coop location, setbacks from neighboring houses or schools, and confinement requirements.
Council members expressed interest in starting with practical restrictions—prohibiting roosters, requiring that hens be kept within a resident's lot, and reviewing the existing 50-foot coop setback rule so it does not unfairly disadvantage small yards. One council member urged modest first steps: “My suggestion is let's deal with the roosters and let's deal with the captivity of them, of all of them first,” the council member said, adding the council could amend the ordinance if the initial approach proved ineffective.
Staff said they would review other municipal ordinances, examine options for fines or compliance mechanisms, consider whether grandfathering is appropriate, and return with draft language. Council gave direction to bring an ordinance for consideration at the next or following meeting rather than drafting it on the floor.
The council did not vote on a specific ordinance; the next step is for staff to draft options and present them to the council for formal consideration.
