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Council approves first reading to limit backyard chickens to six in most residential lots
Summary
Planning & Zoning recommended an ordinance amendment to allow up to six chickens per residential lot (12 on lots of an acre or more), maintain a rooster prohibition, require secured rear-yard coops, and rely on complaint-driven enforcement; council approved the first reading.
Council considered the first reading of an ordinance amending Chapter 8‑29 (keeping of livestock). Staff said the planning and zoning commission recommended the change.
Under the proposed ordinance, residents may keep up to six chickens on typical residential lots; properties of one acre or more could keep up to 12. Roosters would remain prohibited, birds must be contained in a secured coop in the rear yard, and keeping chickens for commercial purposes would still be prohibited.
Council members asked whether the ordinance would apply to multi‑family properties and whether existing chicken owners would be grandfathered. Staff said the city could limit chickens by zoning district (for example restricting them to R‑1 and R‑2 single‑family zones) and that enforcement would be passive and complaint-driven rather than proactive. Staff confirmed that officers would not perform a city-wide count to identify noncompliant yards; existing owners would not be actively policed but complaints could prompt enforcement.
The council approved the first reading by voice vote and directed staff to return with any zoning‑specific language for the second reading.
