Manitowoc City, any advice?

[GothChick]

Ok so I have had some young chicks for a few weeks after calling multiple sources and being told hens were allowed in the city. Well I couldn't find specific details so I decided to dig deeper and this is what I found. It seems pretty silly and I'm not sure if I should just raise my chickens indoors and not tell anyone or should I attempt to get written permission from the Chief of Police? This just seems so stupid because basically you can't have anything and I would already be in trouble for having pet rats, a chinchilla, and a snake. I know TONS of people that have them in town, so we are all outlaws? I'm afraid if I try to get permission to have an outdoor coop I will possibly lose my other pets. Any advice?

OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC POLICY, 14.03 CITY OF MANITOWOC
(1m) Restricted Species. (a) No person, except for a
duly authorized licensed breeder or pet shop owner, shall keep,
sell, breed or offer for sale one or more horses, cows, pigs, goats,
sheep, chickens, geese, ducks, doves, pigeons or other fowl, bees,
large predators, endangered species or poisonous snakes, rodents,
reptiles, exotic species or wild animals (collectively “creatures”)
or construct or use shelters therefore within the City of Manitowoc
without the written permission of the Chief of Police or his
designee.
In considering any request for such permission, the Chief
of Police or his designee shall consider the number and type of
animals or creatures, their location, the facilities to be used for
such purpose and the likelihood of a public or private nuisance
being created, a health hazard, and the ability of the owner to
responsibly control and care for the creatures.
(b) All stables, coops, yards, pens, kennels or other
structures wherein any animal or creature is kept shall be
constructed so as to be cleanable and kept in good repair. The
inside and outside shall be whitewashed or painted as often as
necessary to keep them clean or finished with such material that can
be easily cleaned. All such structures shall be kept clean and
sanitary and shall not cause any objectionable odor. Accumulations
of cleanings or manure of more than one day's operation in any such
structure shall be deemed a violation of this section and subject to
a forfeiture action.

 

[Arcnadius]

Yikes! I know restaurants that aren't held to such a high standard

. It looks like you'll have to start with the Chief. Maybe check in with adjoining neighbors to make sure they're okay with your chickens 'cause I'm willing to bet the police will poll them before issuing their 'okey doke.' Get yourself a compost bin so that you can hide your coop poop, or go with the deep litter method so that when you do your semi-annual clean out, you'll only have "one day's" accumulation. You may also want to check your ordinances for rules regarding outbuildings and setback rules. Hope this helps.

Good luck!

 

[junglegal]

I grew up in Manitowoc and seem to remember lots of rabbit hutches and some chickens in the city.
What did you decide to do? I know the weather has turned nice and chilly up there!

 

[GothChick]

I attempted to contact the chief of police and get permission but they kept adding to what I needed. Also I have very elderly neighbors and the are never home. Also many of the houses are for sale. I have tried contacting them for weeks and have had no luck. Well the chief said I need to get written permission from all of my neighbors before they will even look into it further. I got sick of jumping through hoops so I ended up completely renovating my basement and turned it into a large indoor chicken area. This way they cannot bother any neighbors. I talked to the humane society and local pet shops because technically you can't have ANYTHING but a cat, dog, and maybe a goldfish. They said people keep more then that and as long as it's indoors and not offending any neighbors the police don't seem to care.