Pima County: Vail, AZ: Does anyone have any experience dealing with the county and anonymous noise a

[ramgarjun]

I have 15 ducks and I've received one noise complaint and two manure complaints, from some anonymous neigbor. I assume some inspector from the county will pay me a visit for the manure complaint.

Speaking with the clerk at OK Feed and Supply, he said that composting any duck waste or hosing it down is acceptable and to make sure to clean the area every two days or so and keep it as dry as possible.

Does anyone keep ducks and have experienced such complaints and have dealt with county inspectors?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

How were you notified about the complaint? What did the notification say?

Check your zoning for its allowed uses, and also check to see whether Pima County (I assume you are not inside city limits?) has any specific ordinances about chickens. It would be kind of unusual, but certainly possible. Maricopa County has none. think a complaint about manure would fall under the county's health code; but health inspectors main job is inspecting restaurants. There are also sections that inspect public and semi-public pools. Possibly Environmental Services would be the ones handling the case, but they are more into infectious diseases such as West Nile or other insect-spread illnesses; also roof rats, but I don;t think you have those?

 

[Azriel]

I agree, check your zoning ordinances to see if you are in complancence, you can get copies form your county court house. Then take a good hard look at where the ducks are living. Try to look at it as an inspector, or nasty neighbor would, are they in a pen right next to your neighbors back door, deck, pool, bedroom window,exct, or do they free range and get into a neighbors yard are you on acerage, or in a subdivison, how close are your houses. All this needs to be looked at. If you can, get someone not in your family to take a look at your set up and give you an opinon of noise and smell, we all know that ducks can really smell bad if their area is too small or wet all the time.
If you are outside of city limits, I think the county sheriff or animal control would be the one that will pay you a visit.
Good Luck.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I agree, check your zoning ordinances to see if you are in complancence, you can get copies form your county court house. Then take a good hard look at where the ducks are living. Try to look at it as an inspector, or nasty neighbor would, are they in a pen right next to your neighbors back door, deck, pool, bedroom window,exct, or do they free range and get into a neighbors yard are you on acerage, or in a subdivison, how close are your houses. All this needs to be looked at. If you can, get someone not in your family to take a look at your set up and give you an opinon of noise and smell, we all know that ducks can really smell bad if their area is too small or wet all the time.
If you are outside of city limits, I think the county sheriff or animal control would be the one that will pay you a visit.
Good Luck.

Sheriff would only become involved in a criminal complaint or dangerous emergency (dog or other animal attacking a human, for instance) in Arizona, and animal control doesn't quite work the same way here.

 

[ramgarjun]

I was informed by mail.

I have a pen where I lock up the ducks at night, but I free range them in the yard most of the day. The pen is next to my house, as far away as possible from the property line and the other neighbors. I assume that someone is annoyed by the occasional quacking of my one female Pekin duck, and just decided to add the manure complaint for extra added impact, since there was no smell from the pen at the edges of the property line.

To further minimize the smell in the pen, should some sort of county inspector come by, I've started using straw for bedding, rather than just hosing it down and raking it out once a week. The straw smell does seem to impart more cleanliness and the ducks just love it. I've also started using diatomaceous earth to kill off flies, which are always right on fresh poop. I'll compost the bedding as I rake it out weekly.

I've also placed bales on the sides of the pen to further dampen any quacking. It does seem to lessen the intensity and I might reconsider making a new pen entirely out of bales. I've seen people make rooster proof coops made of straw bales on Youtube. It seems you could just stucco the outside to make it waterproof. I see it lasting at least 2 years.

According to the zoning ordinances here in unincorporated Pima County, I'm allowed to have an unlimited amount of poultry, but the limiting factors would be noise and manure management. My neighborhood CC&R's just mirror the county ordinances when it comes to this issue.

I'm just trying to prepare as best as possible for a visit, and I'm planning on fully documenting what I learn from the inspector, to better assist other backyard homesteaders like myself here in Pima County.

 

[flgardengirl]

Is it possible to make a moveable pen? My geese really make a mess so we have a pen that we can move around so once they eat all the grass in one area and start 'yucking' it up we can move it and hose down the previous area.

 

[ramgarjun]

I only house them there at night, so it is really not that bad, to go through the hassles of moving. I'm just making it as nice as possible to an inspector.

 

[ramgarjun]

Update: No one from the county ever came and I have not received anymore complaint letters. Good enough for me!