Prince William County, Virginia

[tvcole]

For the record, Corey Stewart has been a supporter of chickens from the beginning. He was on our side on the 4 - 4 tie that lost us the 1 acre countywide proposal.

-Vic Cole

 

[RooniRoon]

So I live on a .26 Acre lot zoned Residential Planned Community in PWC and I want chickens in this (http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/alexandria-chicken-coop/) in my backyard. I saw the domesticated fowl district, it stops across the street from me. I also don't have the right zoning. I also have less than an acre. Not to mention I have a strict HOA; my neighbors are moving because they are not allowed to build a shed in the backyard. What will it take? An act of God at this point?

What about peacocks...I'll keep them as pets if I can, just to annoy the HOA?

 

[tvcole]

Nice coop! Frankly, you have an uphill battle. The first hurdle is your HOA. The county will defer to them every time something like this comes up. A big reason the law is so draconian is the clout exerted by HOAs. If the whole HOA were to go to the board and ask for a change to apply to them, it might happen. While you’re getting the HOA on your side, I recommend you write to your supervisor. The overlay district was drawn specifically to allow chickens for the supervisors that were supportive, and prohibit them for those who weren’t. The more letters they get, the more likely they are to respond. For the .26 acre - we argued until we were blue that there shouldn’t be any property size limits, as it is allowed in small towns across the country – like Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta, New York, etc. We lost. The 1 acre + agricultural or semi-rural zoning was the best we could get.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Hi, Vic -

So, I see you're one of the PWC people I need to thank. THANK YOU for all your hard work in getting the chicken ordinance passed! I'd been waiting with fingers crossed since this topic was first brought up. When it passed, I was thrilled to find that I'm in the overlay district where chickens are permitted. It's taken me since then to nag my husband into building a chicken tractor for me! ^_^ It's almost done so now I'm trying to figure out where to buy chicks or pullets in this neck of the woods.

I just joined this forum today and was reading through when I saw this thread. Wanted to pop my head in to let you know that I really appreciate all you've done.

Best Regards,
Sandy

P.S. - Any advice on where to find chicks/pullets locally would sure be appreciated!

 

[tvcole]

Sandy,

Thanks for the comments. That was a long process, and we're glad it's over! Sure wish we had more success, but at least we now have the possibility of showing that backyard chickens work. Perhaps we can convince the county to further lower restrictions in the future.

We bought our hens from a lady in Purcellville. She advertises on Craigslist often. Her e-mail is "Belinda" <[email protected]>.

Happy farming!

Vic

 

[k3llyVA]

Quote: Also check the Virginia thread for folks selling chicks, etc:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/80/virginia/1860

 

[UnionMan]

Where can I look up the laws on the PWC website?

mtnlaurl - there are a bunch of breeders local in the stafford area. I have gotten all my chickens locally since I wasnt trying to have chicks shipped.

 

[tvcole]

The PWC website links you to the municode website at http://www.municode.com/library/VA/Prince_William_County. You can find the laws there.

 

[tinatoo]

Where can I find a map of the areas allowed to have chickens? We are currently house hunting and that is pretty much a make or break point for me.

 

[tvcole]

Here's a link to the overlay map:
http://eservice.pwcgov.org/planning/documents/MAP_10Z2_ZOD_DomesticFowl5280.pdf