our village ordinance Jonesville Michigan

[yankiedoodle girl]

We have 1.5 - 2 acres in the city limits of Jonesville. From the following I am assuming that they are trying to say that I need to have 3 acres to be able to own two chickens....how absurd. I have read thru the MRTF act and also checked out the GAAMPS requirements. When I checked 4 years ago, there was no ordinance pertaining to chickens in the city, and there is a person who has a much smaller yard, less than 1 acre who lives closer to town that has been grandfathered in regarding his chickens. I have spoken with my neighbors and they are willing to sign a petition saying they are okay with me having chickens. The hardest part was getting DH on board.

SECTION 2.31 KEEPING OF ANIMALS
The keeping, housing, raising, use or care of animals not associated with and accessory to a
bona fide agricultural operation is permitted within any zone district subject to the following
limitations and conditions:
A. Dogs and cats may be kept as household pets on a non-commercial basis provided that
the number of such animals in any combination, does not exceed six (6) in Fayette
Township, or four (4) in the Village of Jonesville. Dogs and cats six (6) months of
age or younger shall not be counted toward this total. Customary household pets include
such animals as, rabbits, birds, and similar animals may be kept without restriction.
However, customary household pets shall not include pigeons, chickens, ducks, geese,
goats, sheep, pigs, and other farm livestock.
B. Animals other than household pets may be kept subject to the following requirements:
1. Minimum lot size of three (3) acres for the first two (2) animals.
2. An additional one-half (½ ) acre for each additional animal provided that no more
than a total of twenty (20), acres shall be allowed to accommodate animals under
this limitation.
3. When animals are kept or permitted to roam outdoors, an adequate fence shall
be provided and maintained to confine said animals from adjoining property and
roads.

So I am hoping that by going to the township meeting that I will be able to present a reasonable case to allow me to have chickens bassed on the MRTF and GAAMPS. So what do you think my chances are?

Thanks.....Laura

 

[Woodcutterron]

I'm never cool with a government entity that feels it can infringe on my liberty to the point where they feel they can dictate something as benign as whether I can keep a chicken for a pet if I so choose. On what basis do they feel they have an obligation to ban, say, a chicken, but a parrot is perfectly acceptable? What does a chicken do or not do that makes it any less or any more "petlike" than a parrot? How will a chicken negatively affect the greater good of the community more than a parrot will? A dog? A cat? I've lived next door to a guy with a parrot, and next door to chickens. Parrots . . . MUCH louder, MUCH more persistent, and MUCH more generally annoying. MUCH meaner too . . . MUCH more likely to be come a nuisance should it escape.

But it's nearly a moot point. The statute actually allows you to keep chickens. Really.

Now in reality, a chicken is in fact a perfectly customary household pet, but even if we assume for the sake of argument it weren't, it could still be a non-customary household pet . . . by mere virtue of being kept as a pet. This is quite irrefutable. "Chicken" IS included on a list of what they don't consider "customary" household pets. But that, in-and-of-itself, is kinda meaningless, since Part B doesn't address nor in any way link itself to "customary" household pets . . . it just addresses "Household Pets"

Part B, in no uncertain terms, regulates only animals not kept as household pets! It makes no delineation between a customary household pet and a non-customary household pet. It in no way even mentions or ties itself to regulating the list of animals that aren't considered "customary" pets.

It only regulates the use of animals that aren't household pets So . . . if you want to raise a chicken as a commodity or business . . . ya can't do that. If ya want to raise a chicken to eat it as a "crop" . . . ya can't do that . . . but if you keep it as a household pet . . .well . . . part B clearly says:

B. Animals other than household pets may be kept subject to the following requirements


This is NOT a "Technicality" on my part. What this poorly worded ordinance openly and directly allows for is anyone may keep a customary household pet OR a non-customary household pet without the restrictions . . . as long as it's a household pet!.

Did they mean "customary" household pet? Maybe . . . maybe not? Who knows? Because the statute doesn't say.
B. Animals other than [customary] household pets may be kept subject to the following requirements

It inarguable and clearly allows for the keeping of household pets, period, with no prejudice toward customary or non customary household pets

. . . and don't get me started on the conflicting and somewhat bizarre ordinance language of "birds and similar animals" can be kept without restriction. Isn't a Chicken similar to a bird?

Now don't be surprised if ya go in there, lay this reality on them . . . and have them ignore you, tell you you are wrong, etc. They're bluffin . . .or just really, really clueless. This IS . . . like many ordinances . . . a very poorly drafted and self-invalidating crock of crap.

This is what happens when boneheads try to sound "all legalee" when writing an ordinance. As often as not, they just shoot themselves in the foot, from a legal writing standpoint. Take'm to court.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Someone on one of these threads coined the term "ground parrot" to apply to chickens in response to the arbitrariness of these sorts of ordinances.

 

[Woodcutterron]

Yay Chicks! :

Someone on one of these threads coined the term "ground parrot" to apply to chickens in response to the arbitrariness of these sorts of ordinances.

Yea, I remember seeing that, heheh. Funny thing is, might actually pull that off with an Araucana or a Phoenix or some breed that that doesn't fit someones concept of a chicken who doesn't have a clue about keeping chickens . . . like the folks who make and try to enforce ordinances despite not having an actual clue. Kinda like me writing a book about protocols in heart surgery, simply because I've seen a picture of a heart and heard one beat before.​

 

[Kimmerz7748]

We have 1.5 - 2 acres in the city limits of Jonesville. From the following I am assuming that they are trying to say that I need to have 3 acres to be able to own two chickens....how absurd. I have read thru the MRTF act and also checked out the GAAMPS requirements. When I checked 4 years ago, there was no ordinance pertaining to chickens in the city, and there is a person who has a much smaller yard, less than 1 acre who lives closer to town that has been grandfathered in regarding his chickens. I have spoken with my neighbors and they are willing to sign a petition saying they are okay with me having chickens. The hardest part was getting DH on board.

SECTION 2.31 KEEPING OF ANIMALS
The keeping, housing, raising, use or care of animals not associated with and accessory to a
bona fide agricultural operation is permitted within any zone district subject to the following
limitations and conditions:
A. Dogs and cats may be kept as household pets on a non-commercial basis provided that
the number of such animals in any combination, does not exceed six (6) in Fayette
Township, or four (4) in the Village of Jonesville. Dogs and cats six (6) months of
age or younger shall not be counted toward this total. Customary household pets include
such animals as, rabbits, birds, and similar animals may be kept without restriction.
However, customary household pets shall not include pigeons, chickens, ducks, geese,
goats, sheep, pigs, and other farm livestock.
B. Animals other than household pets may be kept subject to the following requirements:
1. Minimum lot size of three (3) acres for the first two (2) animals.
2. An additional one-half (½ ) acre for each additional animal provided that no more
than a total of twenty (20), acres shall be allowed to accommodate animals under
this limitation.
3. When animals are kept or permitted to roam outdoors, an adequate fence shall
be provided and maintained to confine said animals from adjoining property and
roads.

So I am hoping that by going to the township meeting that I will be able to present a reasonable case to allow me to have chickens bassed on the MRTF and GAAMPS. So what do you think my chances are?

Thanks.....Laura

We have 1.5 - 2 acres in the city limits of Jonesville. From the following I am assuming that they are trying to say that I need to have 3 acres to be able to own two chickens....how absurd. I have read thru the MRTF act and also checked out the GAAMPS requirements. When I checked 4 years ago, there was no ordinance pertaining to chickens in the city, and there is a person who has a much smaller yard, less than 1 acre who lives closer to town that has been grandfathered in regarding his chickens. I have spoken with my neighbors and they are willing to sign a petition saying they are okay with me having chickens. The hardest part was getting DH on board.

SECTION 2.31 KEEPING OF ANIMALS
The keeping, housing, raising, use or care of animals not associated with and accessory to a
bona fide agricultural operation is permitted within any zone district subject to the following
limitations and conditions:
A. Dogs and cats may be kept as household pets on a non-commercial basis provided that
the number of such animals in any combination, does not exceed six (6) in Fayette
Township, or four (4) in the Village of Jonesville. Dogs and cats six (6) months of
age or younger shall not be counted toward this total. Customary household pets include
such animals as, rabbits, birds, and similar animals may be kept without restriction.
However, customary household pets shall not include pigeons, chickens, ducks, geese,
goats, sheep, pigs, and other farm livestock.
B. Animals other than household pets may be kept subject to the following requirements:
1. Minimum lot size of three (3) acres for the first two (2) animals.
2. An additional one-half (½ ) acre for each additional animal provided that no more
than a total of twenty (20), acres shall be allowed to accommodate animals under
this limitation.
3. When animals are kept or permitted to roam outdoors, an adequate fence shall
be provided and maintained to confine said animals from adjoining property and
roads.

So I am hoping that by going to the township meeting that I will be able to present a reasonable case to allow me to have chickens bassed on the MRTF and GAAMPS. So what do you think my chances are?

Thanks.....Laura

Hi Laura
What was your outcome. I’m in jonesville and wanting chickens and I was wondering what the likelihood of being permitted would be