The ordinance does not apply to those raising chickens for agricultural purposes or own chickens for educational, commercial or industrial purposes. The regulations would cover resident backyard chickens for personal-use only, prohibiting slaugher or selling eggs or meat from the chickens. Residents are allowed and encouraged by the town to take advantage of the eggs themselves, in addition to the chickens’ companionship.

The new regulations require residents to be living in a single-family detached dwelling unit in order to own chickens. The ordinance would also require the residential lot to be at least 2,500 square feet.

Under the new ordinance, residents would not be allowed to keep roosters in their backyards, except for those who owned roosters before the ordinance went into place. At the Oct. 17 meeting, Town Code Enforcement Officer Kristi Wood said that roosters are the biggest complaint her office receives, leaving concerns about differentiating between previously owned roosters and new roosters against the new ordinance. "My only suggestion is that if we’re going to let [the roosters] age out, that the homeowner register them with me," she said, adding that the Town could provide a timeframe for residents to register their roosters so that she knows they already have one.

Mayor John Kinnaird brought up already in-place noise ordinances that could provide a solution for excessive noise from already-owned roosters under nuisance laws. CAO Jim Humerick said, "I think what we found with that nuisance clause is that it’s very subjective. Because what’s nuisance to one person may not be to someone else, so then it falls onto the code enforcement officer to make that decision and that becomes a little sticky."

The Town included guidelines for living conditions to ensure the best for both the chickens and the surrounding neighbors. The new ordinance restricts the chickens to the backyard, not allowing the bird to enter the house or other yards. Residents will also be limited to six chickens in a single lot.

Any chicken coops or runs must be a minimum of 10 feet from the property line. With a four-foot fence surrounding the backyard or the area of the backyard in which the chickens are kept, residents are not required to confine the chickens to their run. If the area is not enclosed by a fence at least four feet high, run itself must be four-feet high or covered. Without an enclosed area, residents are required to confine the chickens to the run.

The chicken coop must be predator-resistant and follow the same guidelines as the run. The coop must be as least four square feet but no more than ten square feet per chicken. It also may not be more than six feet high.