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Resident urges council to ease chicken coop rules that require 150-foot setback
Summary
Nicholas Kramer told the council he and neighbors want the ability to keep a few backyard chickens; he said the town’s ordinance language effectively requires a 150-foot setback for coops, which makes backyard chickens impractical on typical Weddington lots.
Weddington — During public comments at the Feb. 9 council meeting, resident Nicholas Kramer urged the council to reexamine rules that limit backyard chicken coops.
Kramer said his family moved to Weddington six months ago for safety and rural character and was surprised current ordinance language effectively requires a coop to be 150 feet from a property line — which, he noted, is impractical for most town lots. “In a rural community like this…we're all not allowed to have chickens,” Kramer said, adding that neighbors who live on smaller acreage would like limited backyard hens and that he would help draft a proposed ordinance modeled on nearby jurisdictions.
Council members acknowledged the issue has arisen before. One council member noted other jurisdictions set setbacks between 10 and 50 feet and said there is an ordinance allowing a limited number of hens in town but that coop placement and waste-storage rules drive most complaints. Staff said the complaint history includes at least one report that required animal-control response when a rooster was involved.
Council asked staff to include the topic on the retreat agenda for follow-up, so members can review the ordinance language and consider options such as a 6-hen limit, a coop-size restriction, or reduced setbacks with specific coop-siting rules. The matter was not scheduled for immediate action; staff will draft potential changes for council discussion.
