In addition to receiving updates on the ongoing M-46/M-19 road project, the Sandusky City Council will be holding a public hearing tonight regarding a proposed chicken ordinance.
The public hearing portion of the meeting will be held earlier in the meeting, following the approval of bills and any last minute changes to the agenda. According to the council’s planned agenda, the council hopes to discuss and approve the ordinance following public input.
The ordinance was proposed in November 2022 by citizen Debra Biniecki, who suggested the council should look at the current ordinance against chicken ownership in city limits. Mayor Lukshaitis asked council member and then-head of the ordinance committee Norton Schramm to get together with city manager Dave Faber and reach out to Ms. Biniecki, who had also recommended a two-year pilot program with a limited number of residents having up to six chickens each. Since that instruction in November 2022, an ordinance has been drafted and discussed, and now, according to current committee chair Tim Stone, it’s time for public feedback.
Under the proposed ordinance, those wishing to own chickens in the city would need to obtain a Hen License from the city, with the application for said license requiring payment of a fee of $25, renderings/dimensions of planned chicken enclosures and physical inspection of said chicken enclosures.
Approved residents are allowed to keep up to four chickens in a backyard enclosure. Roosters are expressly prohibited, with the ordinance also making clear that the ordinance does not supersede existing rules that may prevent certain residents from obtaining a license, such as neighborhood bylaws or deed restrictions prohibiting chickens.
In addition to needing to keep the enclosure clean so that it doesn’t attract rodents, the ordinance also requires chicken owners to keep enclosures 10 feet from all property lines, 40 feet from residential structures on adjacent properties and 100 feet away from any natural water source.
Should the ordinance be passed, it would go into effect 20 days later, with the ordinance possibly going into effect as soon as the week of November 10, 2024.
Read the proposed ordinance here:
