Prospect Heights considers regulating chickens after decades of not doing so

While a number of suburbs have considered allowing chickens to be raised outdoors in recent years, Prospect Heights officials are proposing the first real set of rules the city has ever had due to the increase nuisance complaints over the past year.

Until now, unincorporated areas were about the only rival in northwest suburban Cook County to the liberal stance the city has maintained toward domestic poultry, Dan Peterson said , director of construction and development for Prospect Heights.

“Our animal control ordinance says nothing about chickens,” he added.

But there is an ordinance against nuisances, even if it is sometimes difficult to apply.

And there are zoning regulations on the type and location of yard structures that can enclose chickens, which have sometimes been ignored by homeowners because the birds themselves are allowed.

Peterson is still drafting an ordinance that will be reviewed by the Planning/Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday, June 26 at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 8 N. Elmhurst Road, for recommendation to the City Council.

“It’s a controversial issue,” he admitted. “People love their chickens. »

Yet only about 80 of the city’s approximately 4,000 households own or have had chicken coops. Some of the others are less likely to be woken by roosters at dawn or encounter neighbors’ birds entering their property.

The proposed ordinance would require an annual permit requiring property inspections, set a maximum number of chickens at 20 and tend to ban roosters.

This number of chickens still seems generous in many suburbs where large lots are not as common. But Prospect Heights has always required a minimum of 20,000 square feet for a single-family home.

The ordinance also prohibits commercial chicken farming and will set more specific standards for locating chicken coops and pens on a property. A compliance deadline has not yet been determined in the project.

A taste of the debate likely to take place was already felt during previous public comment sessions in January and March.

While some residents seek peace of mind in their homes, others view the move as an infringement of the government’s right, Peterson said.

“No, you’re in a zoned community,” he added. “People are very passionate about their roosters. … We try as much as possible to keep emotion out of this debate.”

It could be argued that a very technical reading of the zoning code only allowed chickens that existed before Prospect Heights’ incorporation in 1976 to automatically remain, Peterson said.

But some residents have argued that their ability to raise chickens has so far guaranteed them the right to continue without regulation.

“Just because they can, doesn’t mean it’s a free-for-all,” Peterson said.