Ok, reading in the Washoe County animal regulations, this is what I found pertaining to chicken ownership within the city:
55.110 Keeping of animals in sanitary conditions. No person
shall keep any animal unless its area is kept clean and free
from offensive odors and animal wastes.
[§13, Ord. No. 1207]
55.120 Nuisance. It is unlawful for the owner or person
having the care, custody or control of any animal to permit,
either willfully or through failure to exercise due care or
control, any such animal to commit any nuisance, as defined
herein,
upon any public property or any other property under
the control of or in possession of any other person, whether or
not open to the public.
[§14, Ord. No. 1207; A Ord. No. 1269]-17-
55.125 Keeping of noisy animals. Except as provided in NRS
40.140, it is unlawful for any person to keep, harbor or own
any animal which by making loud and frequent noises causes
annoyance to the neighborhood or to any persons in the
vicinity.
[§15, Ord. No. 1207; A Ord. No. 1269]
(Is this determined at the discretion of Animal Control? They've got to admit that some people are just crotchety.)
55.800 Penalties.
(7) Notice of civil penalty. Whenever any animal is found in violation of the animal
ordinances which are set forth in WCC 55.010 through 55.800, a NCP may be issued. In lieu of
issuing a NCP, a written warning may be served upon the owner of the animal by affixing the
warning to the place of residence in a conspicuous place. The written warning shall be imprinted
so as to advise the owner that the owner has violated the animal control ordinances, which
animal control ordinances the owner violated, but that it carries no civil or criminal penalty.
(8) - talks about being served a notice of civil penalty, which has to contain some very specific information about the violation.
First offense = $100 fine, second is $200 fine, third is $300 fine... stuff like that.
(9) Issuance. The notice of civil penalty may be issued by any peace officer or animal
control officer. The NCP may be issued by the peace officer or animal control officer based upon
a written and signed statement of a complaining party.
In such a case, the complaining party
must appear at a hearing subsequently scheduled pursuant to WCC 55.800(13) (d) below, to
testify. If the complaining party does not appear at the hearing in the case, the NCP will be
dismissed and the respondent released from liability.
Website where I found this:
http://www.co.washoe.nv.us/repository/files/44/CHAPTER 55 non-certified.pdf
But it would be really nice to find some polite and well-meaning city official that's willing to talk about tolerances and procedures for keeping poultry in Reno. We can't be the first people to be concerned about this.