Malfean
Songster
- May 29, 2020
- 59
- 159
- 106
Ok, so here's the story. About 2 months ago, someone in my town (about 1 mile away) had bought some chickens and a coop and put them in the yard. Because they're on a corner, everyone could see the coop. Local kids loved it, etc... However, they had a rooster. So they attracted obvious attention. The law in my town of Darien, Illinois (suburb outside of Chicago) stated two things about chickens. 1. No Roosters. 2. The number of chickens you have must be 'within reason'. That's it. That was the law.
So having drawn the attention of a couple of annoyed neighbors, those annoyed neighbors complained. And they complained until the town council heard them. The number of complainers is somewhere between 2-4 in a town of almost 35,000. The family with the rooster got rid of the rooster, once they realized they were not supposed to have him. But that wasn't good enough for the annoyed neighbors who then went and complained some more - only this time about property values decreasing on the resale of a house, and the smell. They actually called (and this is in the written record) people who owned chickens on their property as hillbilly's and rednecks.
So the town counsel did some 'investigating'. They themselves noted that until that point, no one had ever complained about chickens before, and they get dozens of dog complaints a month... but no chickens. They had a meeting where people who owned chickens could come and talk about it. Fast forward 1 month (last monday). The township of Darien passed a brutal chicken ordinance. It says that:
1. No more than 6 chickens.
2. No roosters.
3. An annual fee of 25$ (for inspections)
4. A privacy fence must be installed (this is the expensive kind... like the 10k kind of solid wood 5' fence).
All these must be adhered to by May 1st, 2021.
I have spent almost 2,000$ on my coop, run, and chickens. Does ANYONE know what can be done in this situation? do I even have a shot at being grandfathered in, or getting a variance on my property? Has anyone here contested a city ordinance?
I cannot afford to shell out 10-12k for a fence. There is a meeting on Monday of the town council that I plan to attend to press my case. I want to ask them to be grandfathered in since I already have my chickens, and my coop and I have made considerable investment in them prior to their law, as well as based on the fact that one of their reasons for the privacy fence was that people couldn't see what you have in your backyard. My coop and chickens are not visible from the road. You would have to go into my driveway and actually walk around the side of my house in order to see them. I also had spoken with all my neighbors around my backyard before I bought the chickens and get their permission (on the condition of free eggs), and no one had any problems with them. In fact, the people around my property like to bring their children over to look at them and feed them, which is cute. I also clean my coop weekly. There is literally NO smell, or odor from my coop. Yes, it is a little more costly to clean weekly - but the cooperation of my neighbors was paramount, as was their happiness. And I have asked them on a monthly basis, and never a single complaint.
Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated. I know I have until May 1st... but since they just passed this stupid ordinance, it is still fresh in their minds, and I want to do something, anything.
So having drawn the attention of a couple of annoyed neighbors, those annoyed neighbors complained. And they complained until the town council heard them. The number of complainers is somewhere between 2-4 in a town of almost 35,000. The family with the rooster got rid of the rooster, once they realized they were not supposed to have him. But that wasn't good enough for the annoyed neighbors who then went and complained some more - only this time about property values decreasing on the resale of a house, and the smell. They actually called (and this is in the written record) people who owned chickens on their property as hillbilly's and rednecks.
So the town counsel did some 'investigating'. They themselves noted that until that point, no one had ever complained about chickens before, and they get dozens of dog complaints a month... but no chickens. They had a meeting where people who owned chickens could come and talk about it. Fast forward 1 month (last monday). The township of Darien passed a brutal chicken ordinance. It says that:
1. No more than 6 chickens.
2. No roosters.
3. An annual fee of 25$ (for inspections)
4. A privacy fence must be installed (this is the expensive kind... like the 10k kind of solid wood 5' fence).
All these must be adhered to by May 1st, 2021.
I have spent almost 2,000$ on my coop, run, and chickens. Does ANYONE know what can be done in this situation? do I even have a shot at being grandfathered in, or getting a variance on my property? Has anyone here contested a city ordinance?
I cannot afford to shell out 10-12k for a fence. There is a meeting on Monday of the town council that I plan to attend to press my case. I want to ask them to be grandfathered in since I already have my chickens, and my coop and I have made considerable investment in them prior to their law, as well as based on the fact that one of their reasons for the privacy fence was that people couldn't see what you have in your backyard. My coop and chickens are not visible from the road. You would have to go into my driveway and actually walk around the side of my house in order to see them. I also had spoken with all my neighbors around my backyard before I bought the chickens and get their permission (on the condition of free eggs), and no one had any problems with them. In fact, the people around my property like to bring their children over to look at them and feed them, which is cute. I also clean my coop weekly. There is literally NO smell, or odor from my coop. Yes, it is a little more costly to clean weekly - but the cooperation of my neighbors was paramount, as was their happiness. And I have asked them on a monthly basis, and never a single complaint.
Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated. I know I have until May 1st... but since they just passed this stupid ordinance, it is still fresh in their minds, and I want to do something, anything.
