No Chickens Allowed In My Area Of County?!!!

[AuntieRoo]

Karlachix! Thank you! Thank you! I had not found that particular page when I did my online searches. Why do government organizations make it sooo confusing to find information? I had found another page and did not see anything listed about 4H.

I'm almost 50 years old, so I don't think I can be a member, LOL. But, I bet I could volunteer to help with or run a 4H group? We (my mom) actually ran a community 4H club when I was a kid. I don't remember much about how it worked. We had a sort of community club with several groups that had different interests. I remember one was a chicken club and it was in the city of Phoenix.

I had found the county extension 4H info online during my searches and was planning on contacting them tomarrow to find out what they knew about keeping chickens in the county. Now I just may have to ask if I can volunteer to be a 4H instructor or helper!

Thank you everyone for all the great suggestions. I am feeling much more hopeful now. Can't wait to get started on my chicken liberation movement tomarrow!

 

[rooster0209]

Rules are made to be broken

Laws get changed every single day.

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
PLEASE keep us posted on how this all turns out . You know we all pulling for you and the chickens .

 

[McEgg]

I live in a very suburban(snobby) town unfortunately we have a "no poultry" ordinance. Needless to say I now have 28 hens and the city can kiss my tail feathers. I do make sure the coop is clean(no odor) and no roos (because of the crowing). They make clucking noises if I don't let them free range, so I let them out to keep noises to a minimum. All the neighbors and the utility guys know I have chickens and nobody has complained yet. With food prices up and the fact I can have a 160lb english mastiff legally, I plan on making a HUGE scene should I need too.

 

[LynneP]

I agree that you are being fed a line. You must have a county rep, and your laws are likely posted on-line or are at the local lubrary or municipal office. Local ordinanaces are notoriously confusing and often overriden by state or provincial regs. In some places chickens are not considered livestock- here, it applies to cattle, pigs, sheep. Chickens and horses are dealt with separately. You have likely met a chicken hater, possibly a secretary. What a silly thing to say to a landholder and at a time when self-sufficiency may become necessary! Your local officials should be encouraging you to keep a few chickens! Good luck, and I hope you fulfill your dream.

 

[AuntieRoo]

I just got off the phone with the Yavapai county 4H office. They confirmed that 4H members may override the county zoning laws and keep poultry and other livestock on lots with square footage less than county requirments. She was not certain if this rule would apply to the 4H leaders as well though. I believe it would because reading the quote taken from the county zoning regulations which was posted by Karlachix...

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY Activities or Projects, i.e., Future Farmers of America, 4-H, or any
agricultural or large livestock activity/project conducted primarily for educational purposes or
school credits, are permitted in any Zoning District. The following criteria shall be met:
1. Active membership must be maintained and verification of such may be required upon
request.
2. The keeping of all animals shall be subject to the regulations of the Yavapai County
Environmental Unit and the Health Department.
3. A sign designating a 4-H member is in residence must be posted on the property at all
times any such project or activity is in progress.
Under the 4-H exemption, the setback requirements and number of animals allowed per acre do
not apply for animals utilized in 4-H projects, with the exception of equine and breeding
projects.

this variance states that ANY agricultural or large livestock activity/project conducted primarily for educational purposes or
school credits, are permitted in any Zoning District.

So as I interpret this it does not state or imply that the animals must be kept by a child only, as a 4H leader would also need to keep animals to use and demonstrate their care and husbandry.

I will contact the county next to confirm my understanding of this zoning variance. I think that I will try to speak with a supervisor rather than the chicken hater that I spoke to previously.

 

[rooster0209]

I could be completely wrong here, but I think YOU CAN HAVE chickens considering you are in AZ

I checked the previous listed page for your county.

http://www.co.yavapai.az.us/uploadedFiles/Ordinances/zoningordinance.pdf

See page 25, 36, 68 (section E)

Also found this:
Mr. Lockard explained that the purpose of the amendment was to define how many animals can be on a property. He said the maximum of two horses per acre was being retained, but that with the amendment a person would also be able to have a certain number of chickens, emus, llamas and so forth. He characterized the amendment as a relaxation of the Zoning Ordinance. Mr. Lindner said the Commission had batted this issue around for quite a while but did not know how much further it should take it. He said the Commission had done the best it could, and that it did not want to see County staff chasing a bunch of animals around. Supervisor Davis asked if there was discussion regarding a swine exemption, saying he would like to see swine allowed. Mr. Lockard said the original Ordinance was created in 1968 with swine exempt because of problems with hog farms that were occurring at that time. He said that as long as a person had at least five acres he could have swine if there was a farm establishment, and that the other allowance was for 4-H projects. Supervisor Davis asked if it would be possible to include swine under Category A and to allow two swine per acre. Mr. Lockard said he did not believe that enforcement staff would object to that. Mr. Lindner said it might be a good idea to have additional public discussion before including swine. Supervisor Thurman said he agreed, that the Commission had not discussed the possibility of including swine, and that the Ordinance could be amended in the future. Mr. Schurr agreed that the Board could consider adding swine in the future, but he noted that inclusion of swine had not been advertised as part of this hearing application. Mr. Jack said his primary objection was the additional animals per acre. He said that most people who have two to five acres have their animals on just a portion of their land, and that allowing more animals per acre was not a very good idea from a health standpoint. Mr. Jack said that a large number of animals could also cause neighbors to be awakened several times during the night. Mr. Pack said he thought the concerns of his neighbors were primarily with large animals. He said that if someone had 25 rabbits that did not bark or bray in the middle of the night those 25 rabbits would not be as intrusive. He said he thought there were environmental concerns also. Mr. Rowin said he had turned in a petition signed by his neighbors. He said that the Ordinance applied to the entire County and that he believed it should be broken down as to how many animals a person can have in a rural area and how many one could have in an urban area. Supervisor Thurman said that the problem with not allowing more animals was that there were people who have the space and who do a good job caring for things. He said that if someone was causing a fly problem by not cleaning up after their animals there were other ways to deal with it. Supervisor Davis said the Board had tried to be responsive to responsible citizens and that there was zoning enforcement to help with people who are not responsible. He said the Board wanted to allow people as many opportunities as possible to embrace a rural lifestyle.
http://www.co.yavapai.az.us/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=8200

 

[LynneP]

Um.
Welcome to 4-H!

Actually, 4-H needs so many folks like you, and maybe one of the members will take on a few chicks as a project on your land!

 

[gumpsgirl]

That is EXACTLY what I was going to say LynneP! If you volunteer for a 4-H club, it doesn't matter if the person who "owns" the chickens actually live there, just as long as they are kept for a 4-H project. Maybe you could even just offer your land/yard for 4-H services, such as a residence for a few people's chickens then you can just slip a few in there of your own! Meanwhile I would try and find a way to get this ordinance changed. It's time to go to a planning and zoning meeting it sounds like! I don't see how they can uphold such a nonsense law when the city is allowing chickens.

 

[AuntieRoo]

Thanks rooster0209. I appreciate your help. The zoning regulations are somewhat confusing, but as I understand it, chickens are allowed IF you have a cetain amount of land. Unfortunately my plot of land (which is half an acre) is not large enough to own a chicken.

This makes no sense as inside the city limits there is no minimum land requirement for owning chickens and homeowners inside the city may own as many chickens as they desire on any size of lot as long as they are kept clean.

***Chicken Law Work Around Update***

I just finished speaking with a different person at Yavapai county and was informed that 4H leaders are exempt from the minimum land requirements for having chickens in the county. I was concerned that this exemption may only effect the children involved in 4H. I was told that as long as the poultry are part of a 4H program the chickens are exempt from the minimum land requirements.

I was also informed that I did not need to get any permits from the county prior to setting up my chickens. If I am accepted as a leader with the 4H organization I can go ahead and set up my chickens as long as I have a 4H project sing posted on my property. I was told that if the county recieves a complaint about my chickens, they will come out to investigate, and as long as my 4H program sign is posted on my property they will ignore the commplaint and mark it as invalid.

My next step is to fill out an application form with the 4H organization to be accepted as a leader. There is quite bit involved in becoming a leader, background checks, training, a required amount of meatings each year, re-signing up each year, etc.

I am thinking that this will be a very good experience as well as a way to network with others who enjoy chickens in my area.

Thanks everyone for all of your encouragement and help! ***Karlachix, I don't think I would have seen the 4H exemption without you pointing it out! Thank you soooo much!***

In case anyone is interested I will update later on if I am accepted as a 4H leader and if I get my chickens!!!!

BTW If there are any other 4H chicken leaders on this forum I would be interested to hear from you and your experience or suggestions. THX