Maricopa, AZ chicken laws

[tsuninight]

So this isn't "currently" an issue since I haven't had any complaints, but after I got chickens I realized I had:

1. Read the wrong HOA Doc (and now that I am enlightened considering typing the CC&R's which are a crappy scanned pdf copy into word so I have a searchable document)
2. I found the laws for the county... unfortunately it was the wrong county. Woops. I know talent.

I'm still a little unsure about the HOA laws its' very vague, and I will deal with those if they ever become a problem. However, for the life of me I can't seem to actually find any laws/ordinances regarding chickens for Maricopa, AZ.

I find it a little hard to believe they'd be banned since the smell of cow wafting through can be downright impressive in all the wrong ways. It feels and .. well smells... like a smallish town near a bustling farming community.

I can find things for surrounding towns/counties, but not specific to Maricopa. Thought it might be worth just asking here.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

You need to check city/town ordinances and zoning code, not county law. HOA covenants are not law, but are contractual obligations to which you agreed to abide when you purchased the property.

If you are in the county of Maricopa, not the city of Maricopa, zoning code is what you need to look at; there are no Maricopa county ordinances that allow or disallow you to keep poultry.

 

[tsuninight]

Yeah I've been trying to look at county when I failed finding anything for Maricopa. It's not Maricopa County though it's Pinal County. I know it makes perfect sense that I live in Maricopa but not Maricopa County lol (though it's very near Maricopa County). I found some zoning stuff, and about the only thing that says is I can't have an annoying/disruptive bird/cat/dog/etc. I just didn't find anything specific to chickens. It's possible it just doesn't exist.

I'm not real gun ho to contact my HOA regarding clarification of their rules because as it turns out I also can't park on the street in front of my house. I might have been able to fight that one too, but didn't want to bother. It makes me grind my teeth that they don't care that my neighbors have a crap load of weeds and a drunk monkey statue in their front yard, but some jerk is driving around making sure people don't park on the street. That being said I'm not going to rat on my neighbors (I think the monkey is creepy and the weeds a little much), but to each their own. I'll pick my battles on that one. I can probably call the city hall or whatever (if there is one). If the city of Maricopa doesn't care and the HOA calls me on it I might try to get a lawyer and fight, but until then I'm just going to let it ride I think.

 

[NewtoMaricopa]

Hey there, just wondering if you decided to go with the chickens or not? If so, what happened? I too am new to Maricopa and my HOA docs are extremely vague, basically saying you can't keep poultry for breeding purposes but you can keep reasonable backyard "pets" so long as they are properly confined in a suitable cage. What's worse is that I DID call my HOA and they were vague as well, giving me a general "people didn't move to this neighborhood to have chickens, if they wanted that they'd buy a farm" and "our advice would be to not do it, but we can't stop what you do in your backyard. Just know that if someone complains..." but the same guy also told me that all the residents in another HOA community in maricopa agreed to allow backyard chickens and voted it into the CC&Rs.

Just wondering if you went for it and how you're doing now.

 

[tsuninight]

I called my HOA, the person I got seemed very confused and told me I couldn't have a rooster. Later (after I got them) someone told me no chickens in a conversation in a store (not official HOA), but no one ever officially told me to get rid of them either. I know of 3 ppl in Glennewilde that have them (no roosters), and as far as I can tell no one cares. So as far as what the actual rules and regs are.. I never got a straight answer, just confusion, but I've had them since May 13 and no one has ever said boo, and since my next door neighbor has them and I've seen them in another persons yard I don't think it's a big deal. "IF" they are an issue it's probably dependent on how cranky your neighbors or HOA are.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Maricopa, AZ adopted the Pinal County animal ordinance. You can keep chickens until someone complains of noise and you must have a protected container to keep animal waste free of flies and has to be emptied and cleaned at least twice a month.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...z6EpLe74pMEF7KQrxZxu1ig&bvm=bv.60444564,d.cWc

 

[tsuninight]

Maricopa, AZ adopted the Pinal County animal ordinance. You can keep chickens until someone complains of noise and you must have a protected container to keep animal waste free of flies and has to be emptied and cleaned at least twice a month.

Okay that just makes me laugh "You can keep chickens until someone complains of noise". Seriously every single one of my neighbors who has dogs or children create more noise than the chickens. Every once and awhile the chickens go on honking bender, but for the most part they're pretty quiet, and never seem to go on a noise parade during inappropriate time frames, which I sadly can't say about some people's dogs. Though I suppose if there was a rooster involved that might not be true.

It's important though to point out though if there is an HOA involved you have to look at ALL of your HOA docs including the CC&R's... or hope they aren't crabby.

 

[thatchickenlady]

You'll have to wait and see but hopefully the neighbors are tolerant and will appreciate the up side...

 

[PirateFarms]

Im not sure of which HOA your in but I live in thr Glenwilds sub division of the Copa and have 40
Hens and my neighbor has 5-10 and no one has ever said anything to us.....

I also think Copa is unincorporated

 

[PirateFarms]

I have 40 chickens and my neighbor has 5-10 without issue.....

Maricopa small like a zoo half the time anyways