Reporting violations of city ordinances

[Nic&Chickies]

It's been almost a month and a half since you posted that you left the note.

Anything to report?

 

[My Pretties]

I AM a chicken owner, who has now been reported to the City of Cedar Park because I have chickens. It would have been far better for my neighbors to discuss why this is a problem for me than to just report I am a chicken owner! I don't have a rooster, for the reasons you site. I think if you were to introduce yourself, let them know that you don't have a problem with them having chickens but just like the barking dog problem many have, talk to the neighbor first. Possibly they could save the rooster from removal by putting him in a coop at night in the garage where his crowing won't be heard. I have warbling chickens, quiet as the doves that fly into the bird feeder but now reported will likely have to re-home them and only given seven days. Not fair.

 

[chickortreat]

Is there any way to find out WHO turned you in? I'd be most interested in that piece of information. Some folks seem to think it their calling in life to run other folks' lives. Minding one's own business is a dying art in this country.

 

[OldGuy43]

Okay, I have another point-of-view to offer;

Unless the O.P. bought his house sight unseen (unlikely) he purchased knowing that he would have neighbors who kept chickens. Now he wants his neighbors or the local government to make him happy., because he bought a home near something that he finds objectionable.

Several years ago I saw the same thing happen on a much larger scale here in Austin. There was a large neighborhood that grew up next to the municipal airport. The inhabitants complained about the noise so much that the city spent huge amounts of taxpayer money to build a new airport.

Even longer ago, in Danville, Illinois there was a neighborhood bar that had been there since Prohibition. A church was built in the 1960's right next door to the bar. Now in Illinois, it is illegal to open a bar near a church, but the opposite is not true. Still, the church folk complained about the bar next door. The owner did his best to get along with them, going so far as to open much later than the law allowed on Sundays so as not to disturb their services. They harassed him so much that he finally gave up and closed the place.

Get my point?

 

[missypebble]

That is tough, I do admit. One of our neighbors keeps dumping their trash in a wooded area of our property because they think we won't notice.. and I still haven't said something because I don't want to cause a problem. I'd start by just trying to introduce yourself to them if you can catch them out, and ask them how they like having chickens, do they get a lot of eggs, etc. Then maybe just ask if the rooster is staying permanently or just temporarily. You can probably tell by their attitude if they are willing to do something about it. If I were them, I'd feel awful that one of my animals is bothering you & I'd want to make you happy.

I have a neighbor, who for some UNKNOWN reasons, do not like us. Either because the neighbor is racist or because they do not like the fact that we keep 3 quiet, sweet hens. I don't know. But the neighbor recently dumped trash on our property, destroyed our bushes, etc. I came to talk to them, not mentioning about what they did, but they continue to destroy our property. I have to agree with others, do talk to the neighbor who has the chickens, it's the very least you can do.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Okay, I have another point-of-view to offer;

Unless the O.P. bought his house sight unseen (unlikely) he purchased knowing that he would have neighbors who kept chickens. Now he wants his neighbors or the local government to make him happy., because he bought a home near something that he finds objectionable.

Several years ago I saw the same thing happen on a much larger scale here in Austin. There was a large neighborhood that grew up next to the municipal airport. The inhabitants complained about the noise so much that the city spent huge amounts of taxpayer money to build a new airport.

Even longer ago, in Danville, Illinois there was a neighborhood bar that had been there since Prohibition. A church was built in the 1960's right next door to the bar. Now in Illinois, it is illegal to open a bar near a church, but the opposite is not true. Still, the church folk complained about the bar next door. The owner did his best to get along with them, going so far as to open much later than the law allowed on Sundays so as not to disturb their services. They harassed him so much that he finally gave up and closed the place.

Get my point?

Regardless of being the new guy on the block, the neighbors are violating city ordinances. Moving in and complaining about a perceived LEGAL nuisance is very different than moving in and complaining about an already illegal nuisance. Knowing that the neighbors have chickens (which is allowed) does not mean that they knew that they had a rooster, and it may or may not mean they knew about the location of the coop next to their fence (can't see through all fences--either because of the fence's construction or because of vegetation, etc.

 

[locoguru]

Simply tell them that the rooster is keeping you up at night.

 

[locoguru]

didn't realize the thread was that old!

 

[OldGuy43]

First, the biggest problem is that our city has a no rooster ordinance and they have a rooster than crows at all hours, oftentimes in the middle of the night at 3 or 4am! Needless to say, it interferes with our sleep quite often, and we've been here for over 3 months, I do not think it is something will get used to.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Exactly. Having roosters is a violation of the ordinance.