It says no "raising" chickens ... how do you define "raising"?

Sounds like a loop hole to me. Just make sure they are adult chickens.

 

*sings* I see a loophole, a loophole, a loophole, I see a loophole, yes I do!

 

I think most of the regulations are because so many people don't keep their coops/runs clean and even if you do, there is still odor that can disturb your neighbors if the wind is right. Also, most city folk do NOT appreciate having a feathered alarm clock they can't reset to a later time or shut off! And as with many animals, people tend to end up with a lot more than they intended. (not that any of US would know about that....) Free-roaming in the neighbors yards and gardens is a no-no too.

I would define "raising" as getting babies and keeping them to adulthood and/or having breeding pairs. So if you have a few adukt hens, you could probably beat it.

Just keep the flock small and be VERY scrupulous about keeping things neat and clean and non smelly, so nobody has a reason to report it. You can get stuff made for horse stalls that you mist the bedding with that does wonders for odors as well as something called "Sweet PDZ" that you mix with the bedding.

LOW PROFILE + loophole = CHICKENS FOR YOU!

 

Now how do i convince my family....

 

Looks like a way to slip past the "raising" part, but you aren't the one who gets to determine what is meant by "raising;" the guy writing the violation notice does. Personally, I would take "raising" to imply an agricultural or commercial operation. If you are looking to blur the regulatory lines, follow a path from "parakeets are pets" to "chickens can be pets." At what point is the animal prohibited? Pigeon size? Bantam size?

The community I live in is an agricultural area which is becoming suburbanized, so raising animals is very restricted... 3+ acres for larger breeds like goats, etc. But chickens, rabbits, and similar are considered, by ordinance, to be small domestic animals similar to dogs and cats. I would check for similar exceptions.

If you are in a small community, call the code enforcement office to confirm your understanding. If you call and say something like "Does this mean chickens are prohibited?" the answer will probably be YES... they always err on the side which would result in fewer neighbor complaints. If you said something like "I wanted to make sure I wasn't violating any rules and wanted to confirm that this was,of course, intended to apply to agricultural uses and not pets." you'll have a better shot. However, if they just sent out 500 violation notices to backyard chicken keepers, you're screwed by the precedent.

 

If they are in your house, it shouldn't matter.