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Clarksville to consider allowing ducks in backyard-fowl rules; current owners told town will not enforce prohibition while ordinance is reviewed
Summary
Council took public testimony on adding ducks to the town's animal-control and zoning ordinances, heard from local owners who said they keep three ducks responsibly, and agreed to suspend enforcement of the current prohibition for existing owners while staff drafts ordinance language and coordinates with the planning commission.
Councilmembers and residents debated whether to allow ducks where the current ordinance prohibits them. Staff explained the town’s existing chicken-coop language could be amended to include ducks or use a broader term such as "bird roosting facility" and noted that the zoning-planning commission must review some changes. Morgan and Brian Morgan, local owners, said they have kept three ducks for over a year and asked that the town allow their existing birds to remain while staff drafts ordinance language. “We are very good duck owners,” the transcript records one owner saying.
Council discussed possible numeric limits (three or four ducks), spacing and distance requirements, and breed/temperament concerns. Members requested staff work with Planning (Neil) to prepare ordinance language; the council agreed to suspend enforcement of the existing prohibition for current owners until the council and planning commission finalize rules. Staff noted that planning commission schedules mean it will likely be two council meetings before a zoning change could be finalized.
