Are you living in Sin?

[Minchi]

Do you have to hide your little fluffy butts and live in shame? I am doing some research for the local cities and HOA's in my area, I will not submit any information other then numbers to them. I just think many of us have to hide something that brings so much joy to our lives and that is not right.

 

[Razadia]

I'll admit, I had to look up HOA. I didn't know what it was.

Even though I voted that I live in a farming community, I actually live in a residential agriculture area. Which I suppose is the same thing basically.

 

[Minchi]

There are days I wish I had to look up the meaning. The day I got a letter about the 5 dandelions in our yard would be one.

 

[FrogEggs]

I am in a rural area, and my lot is zoned agricultural. But our metro District limits the numbers of chickens we can have (though the county and state both say agricultural is agricultural). No restriction on roos.

I am sorta living in sin, though... I have more than double the "allowed" number of chooks.

 

[conny63malies]

when we were in Ohio i had illegal ducks and chickens. Now we live on a Army POST ans there livestock is really a no go. Unless its a horse, donkey or mule and lives at the post stables. But i got an "extra" dog. We are only supposed to hve two . Many families got more than two cats and/or dogs. We just dont rat each other out.

 

[CedarAcres]

We don't have to hide ours. My town doesn't have many farms, so legally you need 3+ acres for any farm animal (horses, cows, ducks, goats, chickens) but we have over 3 acres so we have them legally. Although almost everyone else that I know who has chickens has them illegally in our town.

 

[WendyGeisler]

I just moved, but at my old house we had 4 chickens secretly. Our HOA covenants didn't mention chickens and our city ordinances said we could have 10, no roosters. We even met with 2 different laywers to review our covenants to make sure we were legal. Both said we were, but when our HOA found out, they told us we couldn't have them. Meanwhile the HOA did nothing about the 5 large barking dogs in the neighborhood, but my quiet girls were a problem. I even had Animal control come out and inspect me. They found no smell, no noise. They wrote a wonderful report for me, but that wouldn't hold any weight with our HOA. We ended up moving.

 

[Minchi]

Actually you can go back now and sue the HOA, a bunch of new laws were passed to prevent HOA bullying and in some cases they are retroactive. There are some cases that you can use to site precedence. If you sold your house for a loss you defiantly have a case. I think it would be worth looking in to in your situation.

 

[Nic&Chickies]

The city where I live has no ordinances that preclude owning chickens. There is nothing legally preventing me from keeping my girls (or even boys, if I'd wanted to disturb the neighborhood and keep the couple of chicks that ended up being roos ~ I re-homed them, instead. No Home Owner's Association here, but I still thought I'd keep the peace).
I know I am lucky, that apparently suburbs and rural towns near me, including the two closest, require you have 3 acres minimum of land, just to have any chickens. (That, in my opinion, is truly sinful.)

 

[Minchi]

My girls were happy on our little 4000 sqft lot, I would have liked to give them a little more room but but 3 acres is rather ridiculous. Maybe if you have 30 birds but not for a small flock. Sadly in my house hunting I have found 5 acre parcels that only allow you to have two horses and two dogs or cats. What is the point of land if others control how you live on it.