Fairfax County, VA - Page 3

We're busy trying to stop the exporting of your zoning laws to Jefferson County WV.  This is exactly why we're making them take it to the ballot box.

Good Morning. I have also written my supervisor to request how to get the law changed. If anyone is ready to lead the charge here, I can be a support person.

kalthia@gmail.com

thanks!

Here is the reply I got this morning:

Thank you for your email.  My wife and I also feel challenged at times
in providing good and nutritious food for our growing family with a
young child.  I have heard from a few others in my district interested
in the rules regarding the keeping of chickens on residential property.
I believe there is some misinformation being spread among those
interested in this topic.  I offer the following to you to make sure you
are aware of the facts.

Chickens are currently allowed to be kept in the county on residential
lots that are two acres or greater in size.  The number of chickens that
can be kept on lots of this size can not exceed the ratio of one bird
unit (32 chickens) per one acre.  So - if your lot is big enough, you
are definitely allowed under our current ordinance to have chickens.
For many of the people I have talked to, the issue is not whether or not
you are allowed to keep them but how many chickens are allowed and on
what size lot.

Our current ordinance was enacted in 1985 along with several other
amendments that dealt with the keeping of animals.  Several entities
provided input on the amendment including Animal Control; the Department
of Extension and Continuing Education; a Virginia Tech Poultry Science
Specialist; specialists in the fields of horse management, poultry
science, animal science and dairy science at the Cooperative Extension
Service of Rutgers University; the Department of Agriculture; and other
experts.  While input was extensive, it did happen over 20 years ago.
It may be time to review the regulations for the keeping of chickens
again to see if they need to be updated.

With the interest I have heard from folks, I have asked that this issue
be added to the list of requested Zoning Ordinance amendments which is
being maintained for next year's Zoning Ordinance Amendment Work
Program.  Members of the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission,
citizens, industry representatives and staff contribute to the requested
amendments list and each year the Board prioritizes the items on the
list.  The Priority 1 list contains those items that will be reviewed
and considered for amendment in the next 12 to 18 months and the
Priority 2 list consists of items that will be considered for
prioritization in future years.  It is anticipated that the Board of
Supervisors will consider the 2010 Zoning Ordinance Work Program in
March/April 2010.

Beyond the amendment to the ordinance, there is another avenue for folks
to pursue if they live on a lot smaller than 2 acres and they want to
keep chickens.  They may apply for a special permit that allows the
Board of Zoning Appeals to approve the keeping of animals in numbers
greater and/or on lots smaller than permitted by the current Zoning
Ordinance.  All special permits require an application, plat and fee;
notification to adjacent property owners; and a public hearing before
the Board of Zoning Appeals.

I hope you find this information helpful.  If you have questions or
would like to discuss this issue further, please contact Christina
Manning of my staff.  Her email address is
christina.manning@fairfaxcounty.gov .

Jeffrey C. McKay
Lee District Supervisor
Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County, VA

Fairfax County Government
6121 Franconia Road
Alexandria, Virginia 22310
Phone:      (703) 971-6262
Facsimile: (703) 971-3032

Wow, look at all the fairfax county BYC members! I live in Vienna and I called the Zoning office and spoke with a lady there who was quite confused and put me on hold about 5 times and then said I could have 14 chickens (hens only) on 0.5 acres. I wrote down her name and time and date of the phone call and built a coop.

If you are looking for local people who are interested in getting involved with local laws/ordinances regarding backyard flocks then I would -LOVE- to help!

Chelsie

I've been told and have learned that public servants pay the most attention to those who stop by their offices. Politicians may seem inaccessible, but unless the issue has them running with their tail between their legs they're happy to hear from constituents, especially politicians at the local level. You might call ahead find out when they will be in the office and available. It's really effective if you can bring a group with you. The next effective method is letter-writing. Emails are easily overlooked, forgotten or ignored. One senator told me more effort put out is more effective in getting his attention. And when you go, it's a good idea to bring a letter or letters with you in case they got called out of the office. They work for you and they know it, but you have to get their attention and then convince them. Otherwise you're just part of the nameless mass to them.

New here and located in No VA. 
I will contact BOZ as well concerning amending restrictions on poultry on small lots.
Thanks for starting the process!

I'm so bad...  after years of learning the hard way that the "good guy always finishes last", I've started to learn to ask for forgiveness rather than for permission. 

You're doing the right thing though, and I wish you the best of luck - it sounds like you've got a lot of local supporters on BYC! 

Sorry, I cannot support the idea of deliberately breaking the law.  Most communities rely heavily on volunteers who do a lot of the grunt work of organizing various community events.  And by doing that you gain exposure and (assuming that you do well) credability as to your efforts. and therefore your opinions.

I'm in Falls Church and would love to help out if someone wants to spearhead an effort. We currently have four "south american giant guinea hens" brooding in our kitchen.    Hopefully come Summer they should be producing beautiful blue eggs for me to bribe my neighbors with. 

Eek!  Tough crowd.