- Dec 21, 2009
- 448
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It appears that you are indeed in violation of your local laws, and frankly this is a textbook example of why people MUST look into their local regulations before introducing chickens or any other livestock on your property inside of the City limits where you live. I think you are extraordinarily lucky that you have not incurred a civil fine, yet, but that may well be coming soon if you remain in violation of the law. You are on extremely shaky legal ground here, and I fear you may well be heading for serious legal trouble if you continue in violation of your local laws.
All too often people run into code violations just like this that could have been avoided in the first place by doing a little homework. I know a fellow in Charlotte NC who built a automotive body shop, and on final inspection of the freshly poured slab, he found out that his slab was three inches over a Mecklenburg County easement, and had to move it before he could continue with the project. He was advised to get a survey done before starting, and skipped that step to save a couple of hundred bucks on a job worth $24K, and it cost him thousands to fix what could have been avoided in the first place.
You also have not posted any pictures of what your coop/run looks like and I suspect it might be part of the problem too.
It is unfortunate that you got caught like this, but it happens all of the time, especially in neighborhoods, and especially about code violations. Most localities rely on neighbors dropping dimes on their neighbors about these violations because it simplifies enforcement and raises revenues. And because you are in violation of the law, you are left without a leg to stand on.
In my view, the way to change the law is from a position of compliance. If you present a cogent plan and a proposed outline for a reasonable chicken Ordinance, the City may have worked with you to develop the law, and perhaps allow you a conditional permit to demonstrate to them how to properly go about raising chickens in the City without it being disruptive.
Municipal Codes are in place for very good reasons, and are changed all the time, but change takes place slowly and I would not expect you to successfully change your local laws without several months or even a year (or more) of concerted effort and lots of work on your part. Your City Manager can probably help guide you in the process but I doubt he will do the work for you.
Good luck!
It appears that you are indeed in violation of your local laws, and frankly this is a textbook example of why people MUST look into their local regulations before introducing chickens or any other livestock on your property inside of the City limits where you live. I think you are extraordinarily lucky that you have not incurred a civil fine, yet, but that may well be coming soon if you remain in violation of the law. You are on extremely shaky legal ground here, and I fear you may well be heading for serious legal trouble if you continue in violation of your local laws.
All too often people run into code violations just like this that could have been avoided in the first place by doing a little homework. I know a fellow in Charlotte NC who built a automotive body shop, and on final inspection of the freshly poured slab, he found out that his slab was three inches over a Mecklenburg County easement, and had to move it before he could continue with the project. He was advised to get a survey done before starting, and skipped that step to save a couple of hundred bucks on a job worth $24K, and it cost him thousands to fix what could have been avoided in the first place.
You also have not posted any pictures of what your coop/run looks like and I suspect it might be part of the problem too.
It is unfortunate that you got caught like this, but it happens all of the time, especially in neighborhoods, and especially about code violations. Most localities rely on neighbors dropping dimes on their neighbors about these violations because it simplifies enforcement and raises revenues. And because you are in violation of the law, you are left without a leg to stand on.
In my view, the way to change the law is from a position of compliance. If you present a cogent plan and a proposed outline for a reasonable chicken Ordinance, the City may have worked with you to develop the law, and perhaps allow you a conditional permit to demonstrate to them how to properly go about raising chickens in the City without it being disruptive.
Municipal Codes are in place for very good reasons, and are changed all the time, but change takes place slowly and I would not expect you to successfully change your local laws without several months or even a year (or more) of concerted effort and lots of work on your part. Your City Manager can probably help guide you in the process but I doubt he will do the work for you.
Good luck!
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