The Norman Transcript

Government

Discussion

November 14, 2012

Chickens allowed in city

Norman approves backyard coops

By Joy Hampton The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — Norman approves backyard coops

Eating local is taking on a whole new meaning in Norman. The city council approved an ordinance amendment that allows up to four chickens in residential neighborhoods where they were previously prohibited.

Roosters will not be allowed.

Supporters say chickens are an investment and owners will take good care of them.

“We love our chickens,” Norman resident Kim Frakes said “They are a part of our family.”

Frakes said that she lives on a corner lot that backs up to a creek and is already able to have chickens on her property.

The new ordinance expands the chicken allowance to smaller lots, which are zoned R-1.

“The ordinance would apply throughout the city, but if you had restrictive covenants, they would apply,” said city attorney Jeff Bryant, adding that covenants supersede the ordinance.

City Planner Susan Connors said health issues were taken into consideration when developing the ordinance. Smell also was taken into consideration, which is why the number of chickens was limited to four. Complaints related to chickens and chicken coops will be handled by animal control.

“The idea for this wasn’t just plucked out of the air,” Council member Tom Kovach said.

He said residents asked for this as a means of developing a local food source.

“This has been done in cities all over the world with much denser populations than ours,” Kovach said.

Council member Dave Spaulding gave advice on the care and raising of chickens, including the use of droppings as fertilizer. Only Council member Roger Gallagher voted against the ordinance amendment.

Norman’s Municipal Code had required that chicken enclosures be at least 100 feet from the nearest dwelling other than the owner’s and 25 feet from the nearest property line, but “proponents of urban chickens” said those restrictions limited chickens to agricultural zones or large residential estates, according to city staff reports.

The driving forces of the urban chicken movement include the move toward local food sources, poultry recalls and environmental sustainability.

The chickens must be kept within a designated chicken coop and chicken run, and the coop cannot be in the front yard or side yards. The coop and run can be no closer than five feet from property lines and no closer than 25 feet from the neighbor’s house. Movable chicken enclosures are permitted within those distance guidelines.

The minimum size for a chicken coop is four-square-feet per animal, and the chicken run must be eight-square-feet per animal. During daylight hours, chickens must have access to a chicken run and a chicken coop but may be kept within the coop from dusk until dawn as protection against predators. Coops must be predator resistant, and enclosures must be screened to keep flies and vermin out.

“Water shall be provided on site and accessible to chickens at all times,” according to the ordinance. “All chicken enclosures shall be cleaned regularly to prevent an accumulation of food, fecal matter or nesting material from creating a nuisance or unsanitary condition due to odor, vermin, debris or decay.

“Outdoor slaughter of chickens is prohibited,” according to the ordinance.

 

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Government
  • City water customer says site identifying high water users is misleading

    A social media website identifying Norman residents as high water users is factually misleading, according to one Norman homeowner who made the list....

    May 17, 2013

  • New room for new judge

    Cleveland County officials are reeling with excitement over the possibility of getting a new judge, but some modifications will have to be made at the courthouse. Fortunately, a courtroom is available....

    May 16, 2013

  • City plans to shore up Rainy Day Fund

    A request from McKinley Elementary for help funding a small section of road along the school’s west side will be put back into the proposed 2013 budget, Norman City Council members decided at Wednesday’s Finance Committee meeting. Council ...

    May 16, 2013

  • Treasurer and staff honored

    Cleveland County Treasurer Jim Reynolds and six deputy treasurers were honored at the County Treasurer’s Association of Oklahoma’s Annual School, recently hosted in Norman. The seven received certificates for completing various levels of ...

    May 16, 2013

  • Legislation prevents use of welfare for strip clubs and liquor

    Gov. Mary Fallin has signed legislation that would prohibit the use of welfare cash cards in strip clubs, liquor stores and casinos. Authored by Sen. Rob Standridge, Senate Bill 667 would help ensure public assistance is ultimately being ...

    May 16, 2013

  • Sen. Inhofe secures water infrastructure victory

    U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, voted Wednesday in favor of S. 601, the Water Resources Development Act of 2013, which passed the Senate by a vote of 83-14. The bill ...

    May 16, 2013

  • Vote on high-density rezoning request postponed for fifth time

    Once again, a controversial high-density zoning project on Asp Avenue in Campus Corner was postponed at city hall Tuesday night. Norman residents who have showed up five times now said they are frustrated that the city council continues ...

    May 15, 2013

  • Water district still struggling to progress

    The Cleveland County Rural Water Board is still wading through bureaucratic red tape, hoping to meet target deadlines required to keep some of the grants expected to fund the infrastructure and drilling costs of the new district. It’s ...

    May 14, 2013

  • Norman sales tax takes a hit

    Norman sales tax dropped 3 percent from sales tax collections during the same time period last year, according to the city’s finance department....

    May 14, 2013

  • Work on density zoning continues

    High-density discussions calmed from earlier disputes as members of the Norman City Council reviewed, line-by-line, the ordinance draft to create a high-density residential zoning district....

    May 14, 2013