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Horace planning and zoning commission recommends allowing backyard chickens for detached single‑family homes
Summary
The commission voted to add language to land‑use code 4‑4.18 permitting up to six chickens on detached single‑family lots (no roosters), forwarding the recommendation to city council; enforcement and setbacks will be addressed under Title 11 and animal nuisance rules.
The Horace Planning and Zoning Commission voted to add language to the city’s land‑use code to permit backyard chickens on detached single‑family residential properties and forwarded the recommendation to the city council.
Staff presented the proposed amendment to add a sentence to 4-4.18 and described a related city-code section (Chapter 11-04) that will set coop setbacks and technical rules. The staff member said the city ran a survey that drew “well over close to 900 responses” from residents interested in backyard chickens and that the amendment establishes the framework for sending a comprehensive chicken section to the city code.
Commissioners asked how waste and coop maintenance would be regulated. Staff said the ordinance does not prescribe a specific waste‑disposal method; if a coop creates a problem, it will be treated as a nuisance under city code. Staff clarified that Title 11 will handle setback/regulation details. The transcript records that enforcement of animal‑type violations will not be handled by Cass County Sheriff's Deputies: "Cass County Sheriff's Deputies have ... stressed that they will not handle animal type enforcement in in Horace," a staff member said, indicating the city will need to provide enforcement resources.
The commission clarified other limits discussed in the hearing: a maximum of six chickens was referenced in discussion, roosters are prohibited, and on‑premises butchering is not allowed — meat processing must occur outside city limits. Commissioners framed the policy as intended for friendly backyard flocks to provide eggs and reduce food waste, not for commercial poultry production.
A commissioner moved to modify land‑use code 4-4.18 to add the proposed sentence permitting chickens on detached single‑family lots (referencing Chapter 11‑04); the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote, forwarding the recommendation to the city council.
What happens next: staff will rely on Title 11 to set coop setbacks and operational rules and will transmit the commission’s recommendation to city council for its reading and potential adoption.
