prohibition on "animal pens", but not the animals????

[Black Jaque]

My city has wierd ordinances. They have one ordinance that prohibits letting farm animals run "at large". They also have another ordinance prohibiting cages and pens for such animals.

Is that some weird way of trying to outlaw chickens? Or has anyone else heard of cities taking this approach? And why?

 

[Gargoyle]

Is there a legal definition of "pen". One dictionary definition I found is "A fenced enclosure for animals." If you build a coop such that it has an internal courtyard, rather than a fenced run, you should get around that, but then they'd probably want a building permit.

 

[Black Jaque]

Here's the exact wording of the ordinance:

No barn, kennel, stable, yard, or pen or other enclosure in which cows, horses, sheep, swine, geese, chickens or other domestic livestock, poultry or fowl or more than two dogs or cats are to be kept shall be hereafter located upon any private premises in the City of XXXXXX, except subject to 25.05 below in regard to dogs and cats, and in properly zoned agricultural or industrial areas subject to approval by the common council.​

So they've got it covered with "other enclosure". Unless I could somehow argue that a portable tractor does not qualify as any of these. Since at anytime I could remove it from the property.

So far I have not had any troubles. I just wonder what I would do "if"...