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• Chickens must be kept on the owners property, cannot run free <br />• No roosters <br />• Coops/lofts must be kept sanitary and clean, once a week cleaning requirements <br />• Permits or licenses issued by the city in order to keep chickens & confirm compliance <br />with standards <br />• Consent from a certain percentage of occupants of homes located within a certain <br />distance of where the chickens would be kept <br />• Setback requirements of coops/lofts and chicken runs <br />• Coops/lofts must be screened by fencing or landscaping, or meet accessory structure <br />requirements for the zoning district <br />• Coops must be designed for the safety and welfare of the chickens/fowl, i.e. heated, <br />ventilated, size requirements per chicken, etc. <br />• Rodent/predator proof containers for feed <br />The keeping of chickens/fowl has been addressed in a number of different ways depending on <br />the issues or concerns present in these cities. The creation of any requirements or ordinances for <br />chickens/fowl in New Brighton should be a response to specific issues/concerns that current <br />ordinances are unable to address. Other communities have created panels or committees in order <br />to create a venue for residents to express their views or concerns on this issue. <br />Policy Options <br />The practice of growing one's own food, including raising chickens, is likely to continue in the <br />future. The City must weigh the competing values of sustainability against neighborhood <br />aesthetics and public health. Potential ordinance changes could address the following issues: <br />• Ban roosters <br />• Limit of 6 chickens/fowl for egg production only <br />• Screening or aesthetic requirements for coops/lofts and chicken runs <br />• Setback requirement of 10 feet from a property line for coops/lofts and chickens runs <br />• Feed kept in rodent/predator proof containers <br />• Requirement on the sanitary condition and cleaning of coops/lofts <br />• Requirement that coops/lofts are designed for the safety and welfare of chickens/fowl <br />Enacting an ordinance with a combination of the issues bulleted above could strike a reasonable <br />balance between the different stakeholders. Staff seeks direction on whether to proceed with an <br />ordinance that puts restrictions on the keeping of foul. Being there are numerous New Brighton <br />residents that raise chickens (most often without complaint), the Council may also want to <br />discuss whether to involve affected parties (i.e. supporters and opponents) in the process of <br />developing standards. <br />Final Thoughts <br />There are at least three parties that have expressed interest in this topic and asked to be notified <br />when the Council planned to discuss the matter. Staff will reach out to them about the work <br />