Commissioners split on one rezoning, approve two and advance backyard-hen rules

Cheatham County’s Legislative Body in Ashland City Monday rejected one rezoning request, approved two others and advanced a change to the county’s zoning rules on keeping domesticated hens.

The meeting’s public hearing covered three advertised rezoning requests: Matt Hooper’s proposal to rezone 2005 Petway Road (Map 56 Parcel 31.01) from R1 to C3; Roger and Robin Jackson’s request to rezone a 1.01-acre portion of Map 17 Parcel 39 (2645 Mosley Ferry Road) from Agriculture to R1; and Perry Depriest’s rezoning of Map 3 Parcel 18 (7730 Highway 41‑A) from C1 to R1. Petitioner Matt Hooper spoke in favor of his application during the hearing, according to the minutes.

When commissioners voted, the Hooper motion failed on a roll call of 6 yes, 4 no, with two commissioners absent. By contrast, the Jackson and Depriest requests passed unanimously on roll call (10–0, two absences), and the county recorded those approvals as Resolutions 4 and 5.

Separately, the body amended sections 6.043, 6.044 and 6.045 of the Cheatham County Zoning Resolution to add a new "subsubsection G" governing domesticated hens as an accessory use. The proposed standards specify that hen houses must be predator‑proof, contain a covered house and a fenced run, provide two square feet per hen in the enclosed house and a minimum of six square feet per hen in the run, and be sited at least 25 feet from other residences and property lines. The amendment also bars on‑site slaughtering and excludes other fowl (ducks, geese, quail, pigeons, guinea fowl, peafowl and turkeys) from the definition of "domesticated hens."

Commissioners approved an amendment allowing one rooster for every 24 hens and then voted to send the amended language to the Planning Commission for final action. Roll-call tallies for the hen language and the send-to-Planning-Commission motion were recorded in the meeting minutes (see Resolutions 7 and 8).

Why it matters: The zoning votes affect property owners in multiple voting districts and create a channel for limited backyard hen keeping across unincorporated areas, while the Hooper denial preserves the property’s residential/commercial balance as the commissioners interpreted it. The Planning Commission will now review the draft ordinance language and return recommendations before any formal adoption by the Legislative Body.

What’s next: The Jackson and Depriest zone changes are effective following the recorded approvals. The hen-keeping amendment was forwarded to the Planning Commission for review and any technical edits before a final vote by the commission and, if required, return to the Legislative Body.