Chickens could be coming to yards in one Montgomery County community.
The Upper Dublin Planning Commission is considering a measure that would allow residents in the township to keep chickens in their backyards, according to Upper Dublin Patch.
In recent months the commission has heard from people who would like to keep chickens as pets so that they could reap the benefits of fresh eggs, Patch reports.
Currently residents must have five-plus acres of land to raise chickens or other livestock.
The discussion about allowing fowl on Upper Dublin properties is nothing new having been on planner's radars for a while now, according to the Ambler Gazette.
On Dec. 20 last year the board discussed the issue.
“There is a growing interest in the region for people to have their own eggs and the chickens are considered pets,” township Director of Code Enforcement Rick Barton told planners at that meeting. “Because of the interest, at this point we are considering amending the ordinance [to allow it] if certain conditions are met.”
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
There are already some exceptions to the rule after some residents applied for zoning exceptions. The new proposal could make it so residents wouldn't need to petition the zoning board to raise chickens.
Here are some details of the new plan, per Patch:
According to chair Wes Wolf, commission members agreed that the following requirements were fitting:
- A maximum of six chickens per lot less than 5 acres
- A minimum lot area of 1/2 acre
- A minimum 25-foot property line setback for pens and coops
- A minimum coop size of 3 sq. feet per chicken
- A minimum pen area of 10 sq. feet per chicken
- Various requirements for disposal of waste and composting
Patch reports that an ordinance will be considered at the Planning Commission’s March 20 meeting. The Board of Commissioners would still need to approve the measure as well before residents would be free to set up chicken coops.
