Consideration of Ordinance Amending Chapter 4 of the City Code pertaining to the Keeping of Chickens in Residential Areas.

Motion to set July 13, 2026, as the date of hearing for consideration of an Ordinance Amending Chapter 4 of the City Code pertaining to the Keeping of Chickens in Residential Areas.

At the May 26, City Council meeting, the City Council reviewed information and discussed interest in moving forward an ordinance for the keeping of chickens in the City. The Council discussed a number of desired parameters to be included. A review of the City’s Animal Ordinance has been done, and a proposed Ordinance has been drafted.

A few key elements of the amendment include: 

• Changes the definition of animal to include every non-human species of animal and clarify that it does not include non-domesticated animals. 
• Creates definitions for words that relate to the keeping of chickens. 
• Improves the definition of non-domesticated animals.
• Provides that no person shall sell non-domesticated animals within the City limits.
• Creates exceptions for certain small animals commonly kept as pets, research institutions or veterinary hospitals with a license, service animals, and provides for animals for which their owner has requested a reasonable accommodation for disability. 
• Maintains the provision that requires a license and other actions for consideration of the keeping of animals other than dogs, cats, or chickens, in a zoo, museum, or educational facility. 
• Allows for a person to keep, in a single family, residentially zoned area, up to 4 hens. Roosters and cockfighting are prohibited. 
• Allows renters of single-family dwellings to have chickens, with the consent of the property owner. 
• Requires chickens to be kept within a coop or run, which can be obtained with a zoning permit. 
• Creates requirements for the chicken coop and run to include that the coop and run must be in the rear yard, a minimum of 10 feet from any property line, and the coop is no more than 120 square feet in size. 
• Creates a maximum size of the chicken run to be no more than 20 square feet per hen kept on the property. 

As discussed in May, failure to comply with this new ordinance would be considered a violation of the City’s Animal Code and is a misdemeanor under state law. If adopted, the new ordinance would be subject to enforcement of administrative citations and subject to civil fines pursuant to the Administrative Procedure set forth in Chapter 2, Article III, of City Code and nuisance abatement actions may be pursued in Civil District Court, similar to other nuisance violations. 

Staff are recommending the proposed draft. If the City Council finds the draft acceptable, staff recommend setting July 13, 2026, as the date for hearing on the proposed ordinance.