Saturday, April 19, 2008

Ann Arbor Urban Chickens? up to the City Council

As previously reported here and updated here, the Ann Arbor City Council is going to discuss the issue of allowing Ann Arbor residents to keep urban chickens.

This coming Monday, Ann Arbor's City Council will discuss City Council Member Steve Kunselman's proposal that includes the following details:
  • City residents would need a permit to keep poultry.
  • Allows up to four hens; no roosters.
  • Permits would be granted only to residents of single- or two-family homes.
  • Owners are subject to noise laws that can lead to a fine if there's noise that disturbs neighbors between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
  • Prohibits chicken slaughter
  • Birds would have to be provided with a covered enclosure and be fenced or in that enclosure at all times.
  • Chicken coops would have to be 10 feet from any property line and no closer than 40 feet from any residential structure on an adjacent property. (Neighbors could agree to a waiver.)
  • Coops and feed would have to be secured to prevent problems with mice or other pests.
All the above seem like they'd make a good ordinance. Here's hoping Kunselman's proposal is adopted and made law!

2 comments:

Carla said...

This does sound like a reasonable ordinance... I'm just amazed at how little research council members do about backyard chickens. If they would indulge in a little internet research, they'd realize this is a definite movement. It can't be quashed, so they should legislate.
Enjoy your blog! Keep up the good work.

Jenny Robertson said...

Again, the idea of dictating where coops should be (10 feet from a property line?) isn't reasonable. Our coop is smack up in a corner where 4 properties meet (and at the furthest point from all houses), and our neighbors don't even know we have chickens.

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