After five years of trying to convince my husband that a few laying hens would be an AWESOME addition to our backyard, he finally agreed! Unfortunately, when I received my permit application in the mail I was also informed that the city ordinances had changed. They were not changed on the city's website, which is how I had been duped. The former ordinance permitted chickens in sanitary conditions provided that the coop was at least 30' from any residence/business. The new ordinance, however, requires that the coop be at least 100' from any residence/business. This effectively bans chickens from most of the city, including our property.
The following Rules, Regulations and Permit Procedures have been established by the City of Marion in regard to the keeping of farm animals within the City of Marion, Ohio Marion City Ordinance 618.12
1. Farm Animal Permit Application must be filled out legibly & completely.
2. A schematic of the parcel showing location of the animals to be kept must accompany the application and must be detailed and accurate.
3. There is no fee for the permit or inspection.
4. An on-site inspection must be scheduled with the Director of Public Safety upon application.
5. Permitted fowl & rabbits shall be penned or confined.
6. All pens, kennels, coops, cages, hutches must be 100' from any building used as a residence or commercial use where persons are employed.
7. Prohibited animals are: cows, horses, mules, lamas, minks, ferrets, swine, goats, sheep and roosters. Exceptions are potbelly pigs which is limited to two (2) or less.
8. A clean and dry shelter must be provided with sufficient size to permit adequate bedding and feeding area.
9. The Safety Director shall determine the number of permitted animals on a parcel.
10. The permitted permises shall be maintained in such a sanitary condition that no person will be offended by any odors or pests caused by keeping of such animal or fowl.
11. The permit holder shall permit the Safety Director and/or his/her agent to conduct regular inspections of the area in which the animals are maintained.
12. Upon any finding of a violation of these rules, the permit holder will be notified of the date & time of a hearing with the Safety Director and given the opportunity to respond.
13. The issuance of a permit is subject to revocation based upon determinations made by the Safety Director.
14. Violations of Marion's Animal Ordinance may also subject the owner to criminal prosecution.
I find the arbitary distance restriction to be completely ridiculous and unnecessary. If the city is enforcing their sanitation and noise/offense rules, why should it matter how far away from the house the coop is? A coop can be just as sanitary 10' from a house as it can 100' from a house!
My immediate thought was just to submit the application and all required materials and check the box for "animals being raised for educational purposes" since my children are homeschooled, but I doubt it will fly. Then I thought maybe I'd submit the app. with a short, one page letter detailing my reasons for keeping chickens and the circumstances of my particular situation (willing neighbors on one side and an abandoned house on the other). Neither of these ideas sits completely well with me, so I thought I'd petition the esteemed readers of this forum to gather some more ideas.
