Carroll County Maryland Zoning Issues

[Lahutch]

According to the Declatory Ruling 1-2010 on the keeping of domestic animals as pets, which I received from the zoning office, it says on lots of 3 acres or larger in the Agricultural district, you can have as many sheep, goats, cows, or horses as you want, so I would assume that applies to chickens as well. It's only on less than 3 acres that the zoning administrator's interpretation guidance starts becoming meddlesome and arbitrary.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Thanks I will give it a try. anything will help at tis point.

Sure am starting to regret living in Carroll County MD!!!

Yeah right! With their lack of bureaucracy on such trivial things we'd be overrun with chickens.

Your situation doesn't make a lot of sense. You registered your flock, why was number of flock not brought up then? Have had them from before the new ruling to which doesn't even sound like a ordinance/law rather a tacked on nuisance edict. If it was a county ordinance then it would be in their public records. Are you sure this is the county contacting you and not the city/town? If it's the city/town then tell them to shove it. Their silly little rules have no bearing on county ordinances in AG zoned areas. Period.

If your ruling goes south in county court you'll be granted a reasonable number of days to comply with the ruling. They will and can not come right over and grab your birds that day or the next. It's scare tactics and it all makes me think it's the city overstepping authority.

 

[rbruno]

The thing that got me with my original barn and zoning was not the size of my property, but the size of my neighbors. Once my neighbors property size dropped, it changed my set backs. Go figure.

 

[Maegan2012]

I know this thread is old, but I was going to buy a home in carroll county that is 2 1/2 acres. I called zoning and they said I could have:

18 small animals
2 larger animals such as goats and sheep

I cannot have:

Roosters
Cattle
pigs
horses


You can only have these things on 3+ acres apparently. UGH!

 

[Lahutch]

Carroll County is really behind the times with regards to land use and animals. If we could buy again, it would NOT be in Carroll County. As it is, we can't get out of here soon enough.

 

[KrissyLou]

Any Carroll County,Maryland people on here? All the threads are old. When I spoke to Animal Control recently they said under 6 chickens - no rooster was fine. But I also have a big indoor/outdoor pot belly pig who’s my baby- neighbors love him- so we have not yet had county issues.

 

[CrazedGirl]

Any Carroll County,Maryland people on here? All the threads are old. When I spoke to Animal Control recently they said under 6 chickens - no rooster was fine. But I also have a big indoor/outdoor pot belly pig who’s my baby- neighbors love him- so we have not yet had county issues.

I’m in Carroll County, I’ll be registering my flock this week. We are over 3 acres- we are doing things a little backwards as I haven’t called in to see what the limitation is for us.

 

[Birdsong 82]

You think Carol County is bad? Till recently you couldn’t even own one chicken and less you had 5 acres or more in Spotsylvania County Virginia. They recently changed it but not all districts would adapt to it. So people who have less than 5 acres even though they live out in the middle of nowhere probably 15 miles from the closest store can’t have chickens and less you have 5 acres

 

[Teenybeeny]

So I have 2.55 acres zone agracultural. Does the zoning have anything to do with it or do I need 3 acres for a rooster even if the land is zoned AG?

 

[Birdsong 82]

I mean I think it really depends. Where I live some thing could be zoned agricultural but depending on whether it’s a A1, A2 or A3 they are all agricultural technically but in a three in my area requires 5 acres of land for anything unless there’s an ordinance that overrides it. Where is an A1 it’s almost a free-for-all no matter how many acres. So what’s the best I would think is to look up what agricultural zoning you have exactly and the definitions behind it but also look up your local ordinance. Because there’s areas here that require 5 acres for anything like that but the county ordinance says it’s OK as long as there a certain amount of feet off another property and no roosters. It’s actually a more confusing process than I thought. At least in my area. But my county has grown in incredible ways.
But I’m sure the zoning meanings are different in that state and this state. And sadly I found trying to call and contact somebody to ask a direct question is useless and going through all the hoops online to find it was actually the only way I could get an answer.