Portland, Oregon

[Argante]

We've had one extra chicken on the sly for a few months... No one noticed an extra brown bantam in a tree filled and fully fenced yard. But then the neighbors moved away and left their two hens with us. So we checked the codes and rebuilt our coop larger in preparation for applying for the permit. Literally the day after we put the last nails in the coop, a code inspector was checking the house Next Door for rats, new tenants sueing landlord called him, and the inspector peeks through my fence and sees the five hens and 3 ducks. I know this because the day after I applied for the permit I got a letter in the mail with an official complaint and instructions to apply for a permit. In those instructions ( and no where else in the code that I could find) was it made explicitly clear that we are allowed 3 birds total of a combination of hens, ducks, geese, turkeys - not 3 of each. News to me. The inspector was really cool though. The law says you need the permit first, but the enforcement office just wants the fee and for your setup to be correct.
Another point the inspector hit on, the birds are supposed to be in a fully enclosed run At All Times unless supervised. Free ranging is against the code but tolerated in practice so long as no one complains. So during your inspection period ( when the inspector may show up at any time) keep them in their run. The inspectors' main concerns are 1) the 15 ft setback from habitable structures, 2) the birds can't escape your fenced yard, 3) you don't leave feed or food scraps out, 4) you have enough litter & mulch to suppress flies, 5) the birds are fully confined in a run during the actual inspection ( which may happen when you aren't there).

The fine for having more than 3 poultry without being able to meet permit requirements is $500 per day until you fix the problem. If you apply for a permit or are in the process of trying to meet the standards, they'll work with you without charging you the fine. They said they rarely deny a permit. We're getting permitted for 12 birds, just in case we want more later.

 

[nutsfromnam]

The law is three hens no roosters but if you wish to have more you can cost about $20.00 or so for a permit and i think it is up to 12 not sure but I have friends that have five or so in Portland. I live in Milwaukie,or now and the place ilive at I can have 50 but only have 11 pullets R I R I hope that this will help oh also it is also known that some hens do crow dont know why

 

[sciencepink3]

Hi There,
I live in Portland too..well, Gresham. And I just got 3 little chics but I live in an Apartment with a very large balcony...are there any rules about that??? I gues i should've found out prior to getting them. LOL.

 

[nutsfromnam]

you should check with your land lord as they will have a smell from droppings it will be up to land lord if you can keep them also if you cannot and have to get rid of them I will more the happy to take them I have 11 now but i live in Milwaukie an can have up to 50 but im not going to that e mail me at [email protected] if you will need to get rid of them i have everything to get them big and helthy ok

 

[nutsfromnam]

also I will reenburse you your cost

 

[iamowl]

I have only three chickens now, but at one time I did have more than that. It was very easy to get the permit, someone comes out and makes sure you're not going to have them in bad conditions or bother anyone with your flock, and you're all set. I paid the fee, and if I like I can amass chickens to my heart's content. I have found that in a small household of just two people, three chickens is plenty of eggs and work. More than that and it's a bigger chore than necessary to keep the coop clean.

 

[aggiemae]

So you can have 3 hens without a permit but have to pay for additional hen. That seems pretty reasonable to me.

Here we can have five hens but need to get an inspection AND a permit even if we only have three. The permit costs $50.00, a cost that probably prevents many people from even considering having them.

Interestingly, the law applies the part of Salem on the east side of the river, in West Salem you can have as many chickens as you want and even roosters...

 

[chefwhitney]

This is going to be a random question but I can't find any info online, so I'm posting here. I live in the city and I'm looking for anyone who sells eggs. SE, NW, SW. But close in to the city. If anyone can help me out that would be cool.

 

[nutsfromnam]

I do have eggs for sell I live in milwaukie and easy to get to about onw mile from Clackamas town center

 

[katlovesaandw]

We live in PDX, SE to be exact.
We started out with 3. No permit needed.
We got addicted and had 10, still no permit. Us rebels!LOL
Then we needed electrical work done and permit inspection done. We were concerned that the electrical inspector would/could turn us in.
So, we filled out form and sent in.
EASY PEASY!
We had 10 chickens when he came. Food and cleanliness is MAIN THING! He will also ask if you notified neighbors and got permission and can/will check at his whim so don't BS on this one. He didn't care that we had more than were legal BEFORE the permit.
He will grant you a permit for the # of chickens based on your LOT size.
We qualified for 10 which is what we asked for at the time. He said because we have an oversized lot, we could do more if we wanted. Just had to contact him.
A year later, we did. We upped our permit to 14 chickens and 6 ducks. We had doubled our coop and their run. I emailed him and he upped it without a 2nd inspection.
We tried goats, our neighbors were ok with them. We did not get permitted for them until we were sure they were for us.
Roosters are NOT permitted in city limits but I know several people have them.
We have a roo chick we are wanting to keep. Trying to figure out how to keep him.... he is tiny, can't be a breeder due to issues hatching and we don't want him to become soup for someone.

The permit is $31. If you move elsewhere in PDX, you will need a new permit for new residence.
The permit guy was AWESOME, very nice and polite. Answered all questions. If you DO have issues, he will tell you what to correct and will come back for a re-inspection. Most of the time, chicks in the brooder are NOT counted towards permit. I personally do not count them until they have made it almost to laying age or about 20 weeks.