Go chicken go.
Backyard chickens are a go in Platte City, at least for the next 90 days or so.
Last week the Platte City Board of Aldermen officially approved a temporary moratorium on enforcement of the city’s ordinances related to keeping chickens/fowl in residential zoning districts.
The city’s current ordinance is in effect a backdoor ban on backyard chickens, DJ Gehrt, interim city administrator, explains.
The city’s current chicken ordinance requires a minimum two acre lot size to keep chickens in residential districts. The catch is that there are no residential lots meeting the two acre minimum. As in zero two acre lots within the city limits of Platte City.
In other words, chickens cannot be allowed under the city’s current ordinances as written.
“This ordinance essentially bans chickens/fowl from residential districts as there are no known lots meeting the two acre minimum,” Gehrt wrote in a staff report.
“Because there are no lots meeting the code requirements it is essentially a ban on chicken/fowl without explicitly stating that chickens/fowl are banned. If the city wishes to ban chicken/fowl in residential districts it is much easier for staff to credibly enforce an outright ban rather than the ‘work around ban,’” Gehrt continued.
IT’S A POPULAR
PRACTICE
Gehrt points out that “backyard” chickens have become a very charged municipal topic over the past five years as COVID, high egg prices and an interest in organic food have spurred an enormous increase in the number of families engaged in residential chicken activities.
“Many communities that formerly banned residential chickens have ended their bans in favor of ordinances that allow but regulate these activities,” Gehrt adds.
He goes on to say that the current ordinance is very difficult for staff to enforce due to the way it is written and due to significant increases over the past several years in public desire to maintain backyard chickens/fowl.
City officials acknowledge the number of Platte City families with residential chicken/fowl activities has gradually increased over the past decade “but were generally so limited as to not draw concerns from neighbors or the attention of city code enforcement.”
But, with the great increase since 2020, chickens have become a higher priority for the city’s code actions.
As the city began this year’s spring code enforcement activities, the city issued six code enforcement courtesy letters regarding chickens/fowl. Gehrt said the reaction and pushback from the recipients “was far greater than the city has experienced with virtually any other code enforcement issue in many years.”
Part of that pushback involved chicken-raising residents “ratting out” other property owners who had chickens but had not been observed by the city.
As a result, city officials now know there are many more raisers of backyard chickens within the city than they initially believed.
“Upon realizing that this was a much larger issue than previously understood, the city administratively placed a moratorium on enforcing chicken regulations in order to seek board guidance and direction on this issue,” Gehrt said.
The board action was to officially approve the 90-day moratorium, which can be extended if desired. In the meantime, it appears the city will be working to develop regulations that allow chickens/fowl in residential districts with specific conditions.
Alderman Vickie Atkins, who resides on Mill Street and said she lives not far from a neighbor that has backyard chickens, has indicated she is in favor of allowing chickens with certain regulations. She said at a recent subcommittee meeting that the City of Harrisonville has a chicken ordinance that Platte City may want to consider looking at for suggested regulations.
Members of the general public who spoke at recent city subcommittee meetings in favor of allowing backyard chickens include Mike Eslick, who resides on Mill Street, and Aaron Jackson, who resides on North Street.
City officials acknowledge it will take some time to develop draft regulations.
“Because the chicken regulations are currently located in the zoning code, any changes must follow the procedures for amending the zoning code, including a public hearing in front of the planning and zoning commission and a mandated notice period,” Gehrt said.
Alderman Scott Poague pointed out during discussion at last week’s meeting that the temporary moratorium gives the city “90 days to provide options and alternatives.”
