Police chief urges targeted zoning changes to allow backyard chickens in some Edwardsville neighborhoods

Edwardsville's police chief urged the council to consider targeted zoning changes or a conditional-permitting process to allow backyard poultry in some medium-density neighborhoods rather than a blanket rewrite of the city's animal ordinance. "I think the guidance is that we need to start with the zoning piece because we think the 1 acre is unreasonable," the police chief said.

The proposal responds to a 2016 zoning rule that permits poultry on parcels of one acre or more but prohibits them in certain medium-density zones. Staff noted that while some properties of two city lots could accommodate a few birds without disturbing neighbors, the ordinance's current one-acre threshold effectively bans smaller, otherwise appropriate properties. Council members and staff discussed whether fixed numeric caps (for example, three birds) or a site-specific reasonableness standard would better limit nuisances.

Supporters of a narrower approach argued a permitting or petition process could let the city "say yes" in individual cases—subject to conditions such as housing requirements and controls on animals running at large—without changing allowances across the entire city. Staff said they could draft ordinance language that would (a) authorize poultry in designated residential zones with specific conditions, and (b) coordinate any animal-care standards with animal control regulations.

The police chief recommended avoiding a wholesale, "shotgun" change to city code and instead asked for direction on where zoning adjustments or a limited permitting pathway would be appropriate. Staff said they will prepare a draft ordinance and bring it back to the council for further review.