Chickens in Howard County, MD

[CheepyKeen]

Hello, I am moving to Howard County, MD soon. As far as I can tell, we can have up to 8 hens (no roos) as long as their hutch is the required space from property lines and neighboring houses (15/50ft respectively), that the yard is 10,000sqft, and that the flock is registered. This is where I found this information. I am concerned about the "additional rules still apply" bit.

We were considering leasing some land (provided we can find a good location) to raise some meat birds (and rabbits). It looks like if we want to do this, we may have to go to a neighboring county, which may or may not be feasible depending on how things shape up. So we are still trying to figure out how to go about this, if at all.

Does anyone have experience with keeping chickens in this area? I just want to make sure I am understanding the laws correctly, is there anything I should know about raising them in this area? I also have no knowledge at all about agricultural zoning, being from an area that is lenient with just backyard chickens. What should I know about this?

 

[eng6trk]

I live in Howard County and have 3 hens in my backyard.
Here is a link to the Howard County Zoning laws-https://library.municode.com/md/howard_county/codes/zoning?nodeId=HOCOZORE_S128.0SUZODIRE
Section 128.0.D has more detailed information
I have had chicks for almost 2 years and nobody has ever come out to inspect or make sure that I am compliant. But if you move to an area that has an HOA than I would make sure you follow all the zoning regulations. Most of Columbia has an HOA and they are strict!

My understanding from speaking with others who have had chickens that all the regulations in the link are correct. 15/50..cant be a nuisance, must control odor and no Roosters.
Those who have chickens (that I know in Ho Co) all say it really depends on your neighbor on if those regulations must be adhered to.
I purchased some chx from Southern States and registered them while i was at the store.

All of these zoning regulations are for residential, so if you lease some land in western hoco that is not residential these regulations would not be applicable.

Hope this info helps!

 

[MROO]

From what I've seen, the "Additional rules still apply" clause generally refers to rules from other entities, like an HOA or township. Contact your county's Ag Extension agency. They'll either have the lowdown on what you need to know and do or be able to send you straight to the source to get them yourself. They're VERY helpful! Bonus ... if you have children registered for 4H, many counties will exempt your livestock from some of the restrictions.