Bantams-the way around zoning regs???

[Markp1964]

Ive read the zoning codes for my town, and though it doesnt say it in words, the paper pushers who work there say no live stock. No agriculture! Does that make my tomato plants illegal?

Any way, my thinking is that if I cant do agriculture, that means no practical birds-no meat makers, no egg layers. I have to have birds that are just good to look at, so pretty colors, interesting patterns, wild feathers-that sure sounds like bantams!

 

[SewingDiva]

Well, I have some work experience with zoning laws and administrative law, and you should rely only on the wording in the code rather than what a municipal employee tells you over the phone or in writing - they are not held legally responsible if they dispense misleading or erroneous information.

I wouldn’t assume that bantams are fine just because they are smaller - a chicken is a chicken, and it's really a matter of how the code defines permitted animals that matters. For example in my town, a pot bellied pig is considered a pet and chickens are livestock. Livestock is regulated much more stringently than pets. This makes no sense because it seems to me that a pig of any kind can potentially be much more destructive than a chicken, but the code is the code. Clearly a lobby of pot bellied pig fanciers managed to get that animal classified as a "pet".

Also - if you go ahead and just flout the code, and get caught, you may be ordered give up your chickens. That recently happened to someone on the board and it was a very sad situation - they had to hire an attorney, pay fines, etc.

Just my 2 cents.
Phyllis

 

[mom'sfolly]

Most. but not all, cities have different regulations for livestock and poutlry. If you do a search of your local laws make sure you type in poultry as well as livestock. My city has very defined rules on what constitutes one head of anything, on the otherhand; my HOA has sloppy regulations with very few definitions. Under my city's rules, my chickens are golden, under the HOA it's not so clear. I'm figuring with the HOA, if they don't enforce the dog rules, they can't very well enforce the chicken rules.