You all are thinking that an ordanance is a law, It is not. The LAW you should be looking into is the right to farm LAW. In Michigan the right to farm LAW gives you the right to Raise anything useful to mankind as long as it is commercial in nature and you practice GAAMP's even if you live in a Trailer Park According to the supreme court.
If you raise chickens, intend to sell some of the eggs you get from them to family, freinds or strangers, Practice GAAMPS, Generally accepted agricultural Practices, Which if you have less than 2000 chickens you are exempt from, the GAAMPS are what you decide them to be, you are a farm and are protected by the right to farm Law. The right to farm is a Law and trumps an Ordanance. The law states that the city ordanance cannot be used to hinder what you and what you produce.
So, if you want to Raise some Chickens, Go out and put a sign on your mailbox that say's "Farm Fresh Eggs forsale $20 a Dozen" and then get your chickens. When the Zoning guy Shows up, Tell him that you raise birds for their eggs and that you keep some and sell the rest to family and freinds and that you practice GAAMP's. He might still give you a ticket but that don't mean he is right. Have you ever met a Zonning guy that wasn't an egotistical Jerk ??
The cities refuse to even admit that they know of the Law, but I assure you they Do. When you Get the ticket, take it and a copy of the Law and the ticket to your city manager, tell him that you are protected by the right to farm Law and he should inform the zoning guy back off and dismiss the ticket. He may ack like your nuts but don't back down. They know that if this law becomes known, they lose control. Their ordanance's only apply to animals as pets, not kept for a purpose. A farm in Michigan can be the size of a mountain or the size of a postage stamp.
The city of Belleville just took a lady all the way to the supreme court on this and the city was told to leave her alone, she was within her rights.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS, Read the right to farm Law on the states website or if you check out Destiny Farms website in Brighton, Michigan, He has some links to websites all about your right to farm including the Belleville lawsuite, supreme court desicion.
IF YOU WANT CHICKENS, THERE IS A WAY, But be prepared to be beat up by the city a little, they will try to make you give it up but they know if you push, they will Lose! THEY HATE THIS LAW!!! I said LAW, NOT ORDANANCE>>>>
We went thru this, The city gave us 5 Tickets and sent many threatening Letters and then the day before court the tickets amazingly all dissapered. Now we keep hundreds of chickens.
This started because my wife, Just wanted to get a chicken and the city told us we could have 6 dogs or 20 cats but NO chickens! I said that can't be right and I began to read. Know your rights and Don't believe anything the city tells you. They are only 1 spoke in the wheel.
Also, if you want to build or have a chicken coop, in Michigan, Buildings used for any type of agricultural use, is the only thing that is NOT required to get a permit to build. Some how, That exemption can only be found on the states web site, The city's web sites, for some reason, don't tell you about it??
