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Nowthen council directs attorney to add guinea fowl, peafowl and roosters to nuisance/noise ordinance
Summary
After resident complaints about persistent guinea fowl noise, the council directed the city attorney to draft an amendment to the nuisance/noise ordinance (objective five‑minute standard suggested) to address guinea fowl, peafowl and roosters and voted to carry the motion.
Following a public complaint about persistent guinea fowl noise, the Nowthen City Council directed the city attorney to revise the nuisance/noise ordinance to address animal-generated noise and to explicitly include guinea fowl, peafowl and roosters.
Public commenter Steve Schultz (S4) described repeated, “piercing, repetitive screeches” from guinea fowl and asked for action; he told the council, “I’m not anti chicken,” but said the noise had become “obnoxious and loud.” Council members discussed enforcement options and whether to amend the nuisance ordinance (which currently references dog barking and incorporates Minnesota noise rules) or change zoning rules (which can create grandfathering that would not affect existing properties).
City Attorney Bob (S10) recommended adding a targeted nuisance section with an objective standard and an enforcement path: "add a new section to your nuisance ordinance ... bark, bay, cry, howl, or make other noise repeatedly over a 5 minute period with a 3‑second or less lapse of time between each animal noise during that 5 minute period." He explained that the current technical Minnesota rule (Minnesota Rule 7030) is oriented to industrial measurement and not user friendly, and recommended adapting the city’s dog-noise standard for broader animal noise enforcement.
Councilors discussed being specific (listing guinea fowl and roosters) while keeping language broad enough to cover other noisy animals; they approved a motion directing the city attorney to draft the ordinance amendment to include guinea fowl, peafowl and roosters and outline enforcement steps, including written warnings and fines followed by court action if necessary.
The amendment will be drafted by the city attorney for council review; if adopted, the ordinance will provide a measurable threshold for enforcement and a path for staff to issue warnings and pursue court enforcement when property owners do not remedy nuisance animal noise.
