chicken citation :(

[Jaybr]

I know how you feel about civilization.

I've lived in subdivisions my entire adult life, and I've had hunting dogs the last 15 years and couldn't keep them at home. I had to keep them at my hunting club and drive the 100 mile round trip to care for them. I never even thought about poultry or livestock. One of my neighbors had a few chickens until someone complained and she had to get rid of them. She applied for a zoning exception, but with the subdivision by-laws it wouldn't have mattered.

My kids are finally grown, and we built a new house on 37 acres in 2006. I now have a kennel license for 50 dogs, and just got chickens and guineas

The wife now wants a minature donkey and my daughter wants a pet pig.

 

[Jster]

Just wanted to add that I don't think we were turned in. Our neighbor across the street got cited the same morning for sprinkling his lawn and apparently they gave a warning to someone down the street to move a tow truck parked out front.

So if the police are doing code enforcement tasks, what are the code enforcement people doing? And is this some sort of underhanded revenue raising scheme? I'm going to make some phone calls tomorrow.

 

[kinnip]

Revenue scheme sounds about right. I was talking with my BF about this very thing yesterday. He made a good point when he said that the big chicken companies probably have a lobbyist in all the state legislatures talking tough about how dangerous it is for individuals to keep chickens. After all we're all in constant mortal danger of dying from avian influenza.

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Now you see where all your hard earned tax dollars are going.

 

[Cetawin]

You are in Gulfport....check down south in the 9th, 7th, 12th, and possibly 14th District courts....I think you may find some case law there to help.

 

[1dude]

I live near Pensacola. I called our county and asked if I could have chickens. They told me they didn't care, however she said I need to check my sub-division covenants.
I asked my neighbor about it. He told me our area had so many screwed up code violation that they wouldn't care about chickens. He said people had built extra guest homes in back yards, split lots below the minimum sizes etc. He said just do it, at worst they would ask to remove them. Well that would suck.

I lived overseas in "Asia" where cats, dogs rats and big lizards could be considered livestock!

Zoning laws are made to exclude certain people that you don't want living near you. I think if you can pay 100,000+ for a home and you want a back yard nuclear reactor fine!

Here's something interesting I found....http://keywestchickens.com/city.php

 

[Jster]

Hey everyone! Another update...

On the 4th I went to a parade for our town (after DD won the fishing contest in the "6&under" category with an 11 inch dogfish!) and saw someone wearing a shirt, "If you're too weird for Gulfport, you're too weird."

So I started talking to people their about being too weird with my chickens, since I'd been cited for them, and out of the blue someone says, "No! You're allowed to have chickens as long as you don't plan to eat them! I was on the zoning and ordinance board for years and we've hashed it out already, keep your chickens!" Today I called my councilperson and she agreed with my understanding of the statute, and is checking into getting the citation dropped.

YAY!!!!! I need a happy dance!

So...I may not be so bad at interpreting ordinances after all

and it's a problem with the POLICE as I felt from the beginning.

As I was commiserating with a friend today, a lot of people might think its weird that our children are actually afraid of the police, but honestly...I think I've had a lot to be afraid of.

 

[justusnak]

Ohhhh, HAPPY DAY!! So glad you will get to keep your chickens. Now...if the police will just do what they are payed to do...get the hoodlums...leave us chicken people ALONE!

 

[Mahonri]

Jster,

I hope it gets resolved, it sounds like you have good news, but I still think someone complained.

Here in Phoenix

We can have up to 20 hens in a coop in a backyard as long as any homeowner within 80 ft of the coop gives written permission.

My neighbor was in my backyard yesterday for the first time in a long time (He cut a huge tree limb that landed in my pool) and I just straight out asked him if he was OK with the chickens. He said, I have no problem, shucks he said, we have chickens running wild less than a block from here. (True statement... the entire neighborhood to the south of us is constant roosters crowing from 5AM to 9AM... I told him that along with the zuchinni and tomatoes that I regularly share from my garden, that come October I'd also be sharing eggs and he seemed really pleased with the idea. I suppose I'll write something up for the both of them to sign when I deliver their first dozen eggs. :0)

 

[onthespot]

great news!