Newbie needs some help

cluckasuedledoo

In the Brooder
8 Years
Apr 13, 2011
7
1
11
Hello fellow BYCers. I am not a newbie to the parenting of poultry, just need help deciphering this:

"6.08.040 Poultry--Permit required.
From and after the taking effect of the ordinance codified in this chapter it is unlawful for any person, to keep any chicken, duck, turkey, or other fowl or poultry enclosed in a pen, coop or building which is less than twenty-five feet from the dwelling house of any person, other than the owner of such chicken, duck, turkey, fowl or poultry, unless special permit be granted by the owner or occupant of adjoining dwelling."

My problem is that when I read it, our code here in Goldendale Wa. tells me that if I want to have my coop close to a house that I need a special permit. Does this mean that I don't need a permit if it isn't close to a house?
The people governing this town don't know their own codes and when approached about them, look back at me with a blank stare. No one seems to know what it means.
It is so incredibly vague to me. There's no mention about how many chickens you can have, size of pen or size of coop. I keep getting the run around and promises that I'll be called back which never happens. Coming from Seattle which requires a permit to breathe, to a small rural town struggling to grow, this is frustrating.
I live inside the city limits but right on the edge. Dead end road, lot size 200' wide 120' deep, with horses, donkeys and cows just up the street.
Neighbors are new and from all over the country and none of us know how to interpret it. Coop will be placed a minimum of 50' from nearest residence.
Sorry this is so long winded!

1 tired man, 1 cranky old mom, 1 grown daughter, 2 yorkie mixes, 1 doxie mix, 1 terrier mix, an old 25 lb cat, a murderous mouse killing cat and a bipolar cat.

Moving in soon, 2 Buff Orps, 2 Araucana, 2 Rhode Island Reds.......and a partridge in a pear tree
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I would interpret that to mean that if you want to keep chickens within 25 feet of your neighbors house they must give you a written permit to keep them within 25 feet of their house. More than 25 feet, good to go, unless it's written elsewhere that you can't keep poultry under other conditions. I have seen zoning codes written that way.
 
Sounds like you're good to go as long as the coop is at least 25 feet from a neighbor's house. I could only dream of having so few regulations
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Thanks everyone. We finally got someone to tell us that we do need a permit just to have them here.
To be safe I drew a map of where the coop and run will go with the distances to the nearest homes,
how many chickens I'll have and what my reason for having them is.
It now has to be signed by the Mayor, city administrator/planning guy and two others I can't remember.
How stupid. Goldendale is a farming community that is trying to come across like a big city.
At least the permit is free. The only thing it's good for is a reason for them to drive by and "inspect" my place.
Trying to do everything on the up and up with the city, is a pain in the rump sometimes. It took them 3 weeks of
me badgering them to finally get me an address. After we had our ID changed and all of our checks and vehicle stuff switched over
they sent us a letter saying Oops, we gave you someone else's address.
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