Help Me Change The Chicken Ordinance In Trinity Alabama

[Joey B]

In Trinity Alabama, you can have a full grown horse(s) grazing in your yard, but not allowed to have any chicken hens. I've been in front of my city counsel for other things and got positive results, but not trying to change an ordinance. I'm pretty sure I can do this, but I want to approach it the right way. Here is another thing, I probably can build a coop and get some hens (4) and probably get away with it, the town is very lax on any ordinance; it's kind of like if what you do doesn't disturb others, they just look the other way.

Even knowing this, I want to make it legal; you never know and I don't want to do anything that would hamper my attempt to get positive results when I approach the counsel.

What works and where do I start?

Joey B.

 

[pmcatnip]

Kudos for you being involved and wanting to make a positive difference!

My city changed our ordinance to allow chickens about two years ago and here is how it happened.

The old ordinance said you had to have 1/4 acre to have chickens, 1/2 acre for goats, 1 acre for horses, or something like that. There are very, very few properties in town that are 1/4 acre so it was effectively a chicken ban. And we all know that a small flock does not take that much space.

A citizen wrote a letter to council to request that chickens be allowed for smaller properties, with some preliminary information about chickens. I think it was a 2-page letter...enough to give a good introduction but respectfully brief. He mentioned that hens are generally pretty quiet, that they do not need a rooster around to lay eggs, that 3-4 chickens provide enough eggs for the average suburban family, and the minimal square footage requirements for a happy chicken (not as much space as most people think). He gave examples of affordable, nice-looking coops so that council would not think of chickens as messy. He also named several other local cities that allow chickens to show that it is not an unusual thing.

The council tasked city staff to research the subject. Staff looked at examples of chicken ordinances from other cities. They also sent out a survey for public input (it was on the city website, and there might've been a hard copy mailed out but I don't remember now). There were something like 200 or 300 responses to the survey and the public opinion was overwhelmingly positive. The survey included questions like "Do you think roosters should be allowed in city limits," "How many chickens should a family be allowed to have," "Check where you think it acceptable to put the coop: front yard/side yard/back yard/etc."

In the end, they not only allowed chickens but rewrote the entire chapter on animals to make improvements on dogs, goats, snakes, etc. Chickens are now allowed on any size lot. The coop has to be in the back yard and the chickens have to be in an enclosed run. No roosters, and up to 6 hens. Quite a nice ordinance in my opinion. In the last three years several other ordinance changes have also been initiated by citizen request and most passed.

The exact process will vary locally but you can expect there to be a waiting period for public comment, a few council meetings for discussion, and multiple readings of the draft ordinance. You can boost your case by getting signatures/letters of support and inviting your friends to come to the town hall meetings to speak in person. It really does make a difference to have public input at a meeting while the councilors are talking it over.

 

[saugerone]

In Trinity Alabama, you can have a full grown horse(s) grazing in your yard, but not allowed to have any chicken hens. I've been in front of my city counsel for other things and got positive results, but not trying to change an ordinance. I'm pretty sure I can do this, but I want to approach it the right way. Here is another thing, I probably can build a coop and get some hens (4) and probably get away with it, the town is very lax on any ordinance; it's kind of like if what you do doesn't disturb others, they just look the other way.

Even knowing this, I want to make it legal; you never know and I don't want to do anything that would hamper my attempt to get positive results when I approach the counsel.

What works and where do I start?

Joey B.

Have you had any luck getting this changed

 

[saugerone]

Have you had any luck getting this changed