Austin Texas Ordinance Regarding Free Ranging

[DorothyH]

A horrible neighbor reported us. Our coops are all 50 feet away from any neighbor's house, but we let the chickens, ducks and geese out during the day in our totally fenced yard to free range. Nowhere in the ordinances can I find anything that says that we're not allowed to let our pets wander our property during the day, just not roam free in the neighborhood, which we don't.

The inspector said that we had to build a fence across our entire yard to keep all the birds to the back of the property 50 feet away from the other homes even though their coops are back there already. They are not allowed to walk around the rest of the property during the day.

This does not sound right to us otherwise almost every urban chicken owner in Austin is breaking code. They are let out of their coops in the morning and go back at dusk, but she is saying that they are not even allowed to sit with us when we are out there! Is it really against code to let them wander around in our yard???

There is nothing in the code that says that I must keep our birds in their coops all the time that I can see. Please, help!

 

[Gtstricky]

The coop must be 50’ from other residences (not your own) and they can not run at large. So if you have them fenced in and the coop 50’ away from your neighbors I am not sure what the problem is.

 

[DorothyH]

They are not "at large" but in my fenced yard. The officer said that if I let them out of the coop then my FENCE for the yard becomes their "enclosure" so I can't let them out of the coop unless I build ANOTHER FENCE that keeps them back 50 feet from the neighbors. To me, this is a weird interpretation of the code to say the least but she is adamant that I have to build another fence. That means that 90% of the people that own chickens in Austin would be against code... so I really question this interpretation of hers, yet she balked when I called it an interpretation of the code. Their coops are 50 feet away and they are not free roaming so she says that means that the fence around my property is the "enclosure". Weird isn't it?

 

[aart]

Their coops are 50 feet away

Does it say anything specifically about 'runs'?

This does not sound right to us otherwise almost every urban chicken owner in Austin is breaking code.

Go take a bunch of pictures of these other 'violators' and have the rules revised?

 

[clickchicks]

My understanding is the coop has to be 50 feet, not the birds as long as they are not able to run at large (a fence should qualify).

You could try reaching out to the Travis County AgriLife Extension and asking if they know the nuance to the law. I feel like if anyone would be able to answer this solidly, its them. 512.854.9600 or [email protected].

https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/about-2/ask-the-agents/

 

[DorothyH]

Does it say anything specifically about 'runs'?

Go take a bunch of pictures of these other 'violators' and have the rules revised?

Oh, that would take a lot of effort if even possible. We used to have a coop tour, but that is no longer happening. I just want to know if we really need to build this fence of not and deny the birds their bamboo. It says nothing about "run" just "enclosures" so I guess if I let them out of the coop then their new "enclosure" is the entire yard she is saying.

I tell ya though, this is going to do NOTHING to help them sell their house and I was going to sell off most of the birdies I'm raising, but now each and every one of them STAYS because there is no code saying HOW MANY I can have! LOL And... I'm putting signs in the FRONT YARD saying that I have all these animals in the back so that the person who buys their house will know what is there even if the birdies happen to be quiet (which they almost always are) when the new owner comes to see their house.

It's not good to make a sworn enemy of your next door neighbor when you are trying to sell your house.

 

[DorothyH]

My understanding is the coop has to be 50 feet, not the birds as long as they are not able to run at large (a fence should qualify).

You could try reaching out to the Travis County AgriLife Extension and asking if they know the nuance to the law. I feel like if anyone would be able to answer this solidly, its them. 512.854.9600 or [email protected].

https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/about-2/ask-the-agents/

THANK YOU! I just "wrote to an expert" through that website. I tried calling too, but it didn't sound like a business.

 

[Gtstricky]

I would fight it, well nicely
The code says the coop has to be 50’. It does not say anything about the birds being kept back 50’. They just can’t roam free which the fence on your property seems to fix. Hopefully you can call someone official for a better explanation or interpretation. Otherwise you might need to pay a lawyer to make your case.

 

[DorothyH]

I would fight it, well nicely
The code says the coop has to be 50’. It does not say anything about the birds being kept back 50’. They just can’t roam free which the fence on your property seems to fix. Hopefully you can call someone official for a better explanation or interpretation. Otherwise you might need to pay a lawyer to make your case.

Afraid that we don't have the funds to pay a lawyer right now after Covid financial debacles. I don't know how to fight this without a lawyer I'm afraid. Are there any backyard chicken groups in Austin that might be able to help this cause, because I think it does affect all the backyard chicken owners in Austin. The woman code enforcer that came here seemed to be against backyard birds in general saying that "some homeowners want for chickens not to be permitted at all" and I said that they make less noise and fertilize the environment rather than poison it and are not dangerous... like DOGS... so we should just get rid of all the dogs in Austin instead.

My birds are MUCH QUIETER than that neighbors' dogs!

 

[aart]

Are there any backyard chicken groups in Austin that might be able to help this cause, because I think it does affect all the backyard chicken owners in Austin.

Who organized the tours before, they might be able to help.
If you use Facebook, that would be the place to look for neighborhood groups..
.....or your state chat thread here on byc.