Help! Please sign the petition to keep my Dorris at home / allow chickens in Pringle!

dorrisandgloria

Hatching
6 Years
Aug 26, 2013
3
0
7
After nearly two years of having my two sweet Buff Orpington girls, my borough has merged with a larger town and adopted its rules. This apparently includes "no farm animals," so they told us we have 30 days to get rid of our Dorris!


We live on a hill in Pringle, PA, and own our property: the home of my grandparents (who raised pigs and other farm animals on it in the past) with a large, spacious yard. As free Americans, we have the right to keep our own pets, and as free creatures of God, they have the right to be here.



Please sign this petition and spread the word to help us keep the right to keep our own pet in our own backyard! https://www.change.org/petitions/lu...ay-home-continue-allowing-chickens-in-pringle
 
I feel so sad for you. Many people in my City of Cedar Park have chickens, so I got a few as well and THEN found out there is an ordinance to that does not allow for them. I had to rehome them and I know how that must feel for you. I didn't have mine as long as you have and I miss them terribly. I found an ordinance, strangely from a town in PA that I deleted, and they got it revised to allow them. It is below. Maybe your town will allow this same ordinance. Fill in with your location's name and send to your council to be considered. We modified the original ordinance from PA to have lesser fines and smaller lots, but pretty much what has been accepted already. I found it on one of the threads here. Best of luck!
ORDINANCE NO. _____

BE IT ORDAINED AND ENACTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF CEDAR PARK, RELATING TO THE RAISING OF CHICKENS AND ESTABLISHING RULES AND REGULATIONS RELATIVE TO SAME.

WHEREAS, the City of _________ wishes to respond to residents of the city who wish to raise a small number of chickens; and,

WHEREAS, a reasonable and limited number of chickens on a given property will have a low impact on the community; and,

WHEREAS, such allowances will encourage the growth of the urban agriculture movement within the City of _______; and,

WHEREAS, the raising of a small number of chickens offers a host of personal benefits; and,
NOW, THEREFORE, ___________ HEREBY ORDAINS THE FOLLOWING:

ARTICLE I – Domestic Chickens

Section 1 – Use Type

. Domestic Chickens shall be considered a permitted accessory use for single family homes in all zoning districts.

Section 2 – Supplemental Regulations:

. Chickens may be kept in single family homes with a minimum lot area of 1/5 acre.
. For parcels with a lot area of 1/5 acre, residents may keep up to four hens.
. An additional two hens may be kept for each additional 1,00 square feet increase in lot size up to one acre, but in no case more than eight hens.
. Only chicken hens may be kept on lots that are less than 10 acres in size.
. Hens shall be kept for personal use only. The selling of eggs, fertilizer or breeding of hens is prohibited.
. Hens may free-range in backyards only if wings are kept clipped at all times and running at large is not permitted with nuisance ordinance in place applying to noise, at large, odors, or any sanitation violations.
. Hen houses and runs shall be fenced and maintained in accordance with the standards set forth in this section.
. Chicken coops shall be considered Accessory Structures and are limited to one per zoning lot.
. Slaughtering or butchering of chickens for personal consumption or religious practices shall be permitted, provided that it is done wholly on the property where the chicken hens are kept. Slaughtering or butchering shall be conducted only in an indoor location and any waste created from slaughtering or butchering shall be disposed of in a proper or sanitary manner.


Section 3: Location Regulations:

. The henhouse and run shall be located in the rear yard only.
. The henhouse and run shall be a minimum of five feet from any property line.
. The henhouse and run shall be a minimum of twenty-five feet from any residential dwelling structure.


Section 4 – Design Requirements

. The henhouse and / or pen shall be properly designed and constructed to provide adequate security from rodents, wild birds and predators. Sufficient ventilation and suitable shelter for hens must be provided. The hen house shall provide a minimum of 2 square feet per chicken, or 1 square foot per pound of bird, and be of sufficient size to permit free movement of the hens. The hen house may not be taller than six (6) feet and must be easily accessible for cleaning and maintenance. Any windows must be screened with chicken wire to protect the hens from predators.
. The run shall be fully enclosed by a secured fence at all times. If owner already has a six foot fence surrounding backyard, that is considered sufficient. A run fence must be at least five feet in height and no more than six feet six inches in height.
. All feed, water and other items associated with the keeping of chicken hens shall be stored and dispensed in a way that prevents infestation by rats, mice or other rodents or vectors. Failure to keep all feed, water and other items associated with the keeping of chicken hens in a clean and sanitary condition constitutes a violation of this ordinance.


Section 5 – Sanitation Requirements

. All henhouses and runs shall be kept maintained in clean and sanitary condition so as to prevent any odor detectable at a property line. Hen houses and runs shall be cleaned on a regular basis.
. Chicken feces on private property shall not be allowed to accumulate to the degree that it becomes a public health nuisance or hazard.
. It shall be unlawful for any person to spread or cause to be spread or deposited upon any ground or premises within City of ________ any chicken manure. However, chicken manure may be composted on the property where the chickens are housed and the composted material then applied to gardens or yards.


Section 6 – Compliance

. The _________ zoning officer may inspect hen houses and runs at reasonable times to determine compliance.


Section 7 – Violations and Penalties:

. Any person who shall be convicted of violating the provisions of this article shall be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding $200 and the costs of prosecution for each and every violation and, in default of payment thereof, to undergo imprisonment not exceeding thirty (15) days. Each day’s continuance of a violation of any provision of this article shall constitute a separate violation.

. In addition to fines and imprisonment, any person, firm who does not maintain a clean and safe environment, or whose hens become a nuisance to their neighbors may be subject to having their hens seized by the Cedar Park Animal Control officers.


ORDAINED BY THE CITY ________________ ON THIS ____ DAY OF _____, 2013.
 
Since the chickens predate the merger, you OUGHT to be grandfathered in. Grandfathering can work in different ways, so read the city's ordinances for non-conforming uses. In some cases you are protected only if you continue to have them, or only for that specific set of animals or only you, the current property owner.
 
Thank you for the replies, guys!

MyPretties, that sample ordinance was very useful. Thanks a lot for sharing; I'll definitely have to do this.

Sonoran Silkies, we should be grandfathered in, as they've known about our owning chickens for over a year now (and a family up the street has always kept chickens), but for some reason they still ordered us to get rid of Dorris. Whatever happens we'll stand our ground!
 

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