I am having trouble finding out if I AM able to have chickens where I

[ange]

Can anyone tell me wher I can find out if I am allowed to have chickens where I live. I have checked the website under our town, but could not find the listing

 

[Ridgerunner]

I suggest talking to your county extension agent, in the phone book under county. Your taxes are paying to keep that office open. Might as well use them. If they cannot tell you the answer, they can tell you where to find the answer.

You can also talk to your public librarian. The risk there is that the answer you get may be in legalese where you still have to interpret it or you might not find all the relevent references.

As a last resort, you can talk to your elected city representative but the odds of them actually knowing anything is a bit risky. If there is interpretation required, though, this might not be too bad if you can get them on your side.

Good luck!!! This is not always cut and dried.

 

[mdbokc]

Code enforcement people for the city will know. Or "should" know.

 

[ange]

I was trying to look online , on their web page but could not find the answer, to that one, but many others.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

For city or town regulations, you need to contact the city/town clerk. You need to know city code and also zoning regulations. While a county extension may be familiar with the ordinances in the local communities, they also may not be accurate. They should have familiarity with any county ordinances. The librarian is no more or less likely to know than the corner grocer or any other citizen.

Many, if not most, cities have a website--that is also a good starting point.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My wife voluntreers at a local public library. One of the duties of a librarian is to help with searches, including searches of local ordinances. The librarian will probably not interpret them for you but should help you find them for you to read.

A county extension agent may not know the answers, but his/her job is to find the resources to answer the questions. My agent seldom answers my questions but usually puts me in touch with people who do know the answer. This type of question should fall in the agent's job description.

The risk is that the ordinances may not be clear or may even conflict. If you go to a city official you may get their interpretation of one ordinance where there is another ordinance that may be more supportive of your position. I live in the country where this is not a problem, but I'd feel more comfortable if I did some research and was able to make a case when I broached the subject instead of getting a decision I did not like and getting somebody defensive if I try to change their mind. Something like, I believe this ordinance (shows official a copy of the ordinance) allows me to keep four chickens but no roosters. Do you agree?

We all approach things differently. This is my perspective.