Can you please send me the Probe comment on the chickens you ran last year? I have a chicken in my backyard that makes so much less noise than my neighbor’s yapping dog, yet my neighbor has complained about my little chicken that lays an egg for me every day and is a productive part of our community, as opposed to their dog that yaps all night. — Chicken Lady, El Centro
We’ll do you one better; we’ll give you rebuttal ammo based on the city code. (But just in case, that previous Probe was referring to a rooster in city limits and ran April 7, 2011.)
But first …
Yes, according to the municipal code, Section 29-169, poultry — the letter writer’s community-conscious chicken for the purposes of this writing — and other small animals are allowed in city limits for profit or for pleasure in numbers fewer than two.
Anything beyond that, then a city planning department conditional-use permit is needed. Livestock, or bigger animals, generally is not allowed.
Continually yapping dogs, though, are a violation of city codes, if they are deemed offensive to neighbors. There are two sections that pertain to this, enforceable by the city Animal Control officer.
Under Section 5-27, part E, animal and animal premises shall not be permitted to disturb the peace or constitute a public nuisance or hazard through that.
Then, in Section 5-32 of disturbing the peace and finding evidence therein, “No person shall own or harbor an animal in such a manner that the peace and/or quiet of the public is disturbed.”
The section goes on to say that written affirmation by two persons having separate residences indicating that the howling, barking or other noises are a violation of the previously mentioned section, 5-27, part E, can be used as evidence to constitute a code violation.
We’re still not sure whether one egg a day is enough to make that chicken a productive member of the community.
To comment on this story click here to be directed to Facebook.
