ZBA Approves Chicken Permit for 46 Main Street with Conditions

The Dundee Zoning Board of Appeals voted 3–1 on July 16, 2026 to approve a Livestock Special Use Permit for 46 Main Street, allowing the property owner to keep up to six chickens on a 1.13-acre parcel. The approval carries a set of conditions governing pen design and placement, animal care, feed storage and inspections by the Code Enforcement Officer.

Applicant Kristine Lauster told the Board she and her family would be “responsible chicken owners” and described plans to house the birds in an existing coop, bring them into a barn at night, and store feed in metal rodent-proof containers. Neighbor Lisa Krossber raised safety concerns about nearby wooded areas and past bear and coyote activity; Lauster said the chickens would be secured and that no roosters would be kept.

The Board’s approval was accompanied by detailed conditions: pens must resist rodents and predators, be screened from neighboring properties, meet setback distances (minimum 10 feet from side/rear property lines and 50 feet from neighboring residences), be approved by the Code Enforcement Officer, be regularly cleaned and kept odor-free, and prohibit slaughter and keeping chickens inside the home. The permit is conditioned on lot-area rules (6 chickens allowed on properties larger than one acre), entry for inspections during daylight hours and penalties including potential revocation and fines (the minutes record $250 per day after a two-week revocation notice for unresolved violations).

Roll-call votes were recorded as: Robert Clark Yes; Caryl Sutterby No; Mary Cornish Yes; Jeremy Hall Yes, producing a 3–1 approval. The Board’s SEQRA review for this application resulted in a Negative Declaration prior to the vote.