- May 24, 2011
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I'm new to this forum and live in a small city in Ohio. I purchased six chicks on April 1 and they've been happily living at my house until yesterday. I've provided them with a large coop, made from scratch and housed inside my garage (a coop within a building, if you will) with a ramp and access to a fully enclosed run behind my garage. For nearly two months all was well, until a neighbor complained and the city posted a warning note on my property yesterday. I assume because one rooster has begun to crow (I planned to eat him when he got just a bit larger because I don't need the noise either), a neighbor heard him and complained. They certainly couldn't see the chickens without stepping onto my property.
The city said that chickens are not domestic animals and aren't permitted inside the city limits. But our local animal ordinance/development code states that "only domestic animals" are permitted at residences within city limits. It defines "domestic animal" as "A cat, dog, or other small animal of the types commonly maintained as household pets."
That's pretty vague and seems open to interpretation. No law specifically prohibits chickens or fowl. It merely states domestic animals commonly kept as pets. As I told the guys in the building department, whom I'm pretty friendly with since I own multiple properties in town, "common" is in the eye of the beholder. Thousands of people, including Tori Spelling no less, own pet chickens. To me, that seems very, very common indeed.
I submitted an appeal, along with more than half a dozen recent newspaper articles on people keeping chickens as pets, and received a variance permit for my chickens this morning. I get to have a hearing with the board of zoning appeals in mid-June. So my cheeps are at least legal until then. I'm hoping for the best. I keep the chickens well-fed, watered and I clean up after them a couple times a week so that there's no odor at all coming from my property. Even the one rooster, who has just begun making noise, isn't even as loud as a barking dog. He never crows at night either, unlike some dogs I know.
Has anyone been through this process before and won their case? How did you do it? Obviously, I'm going to read through previous posts in this forum and other references to put together a strong case. Any advice or words of encouragement are appreciated.
The city said that chickens are not domestic animals and aren't permitted inside the city limits. But our local animal ordinance/development code states that "only domestic animals" are permitted at residences within city limits. It defines "domestic animal" as "A cat, dog, or other small animal of the types commonly maintained as household pets."
That's pretty vague and seems open to interpretation. No law specifically prohibits chickens or fowl. It merely states domestic animals commonly kept as pets. As I told the guys in the building department, whom I'm pretty friendly with since I own multiple properties in town, "common" is in the eye of the beholder. Thousands of people, including Tori Spelling no less, own pet chickens. To me, that seems very, very common indeed.
I submitted an appeal, along with more than half a dozen recent newspaper articles on people keeping chickens as pets, and received a variance permit for my chickens this morning. I get to have a hearing with the board of zoning appeals in mid-June. So my cheeps are at least legal until then. I'm hoping for the best. I keep the chickens well-fed, watered and I clean up after them a couple times a week so that there's no odor at all coming from my property. Even the one rooster, who has just begun making noise, isn't even as loud as a barking dog. He never crows at night either, unlike some dogs I know.
Has anyone been through this process before and won their case? How did you do it? Obviously, I'm going to read through previous posts in this forum and other references to put together a strong case. Any advice or words of encouragement are appreciated.
