Backyard Chickens in Lockport, Illinois

[JDolphin66]

I'm in the process trying to change the ordinance in Lockport, IL to be able to have backyard chickens. I have looked up ordinances in other towns around us and some are vague or allow them. I need help in the steps I need to take. This issue has been brought up to our current mayor, but he keeps telling us that we need to be brought up before council, and then a whole process that will involve creating the ordinance with all sort of parameters (no roosters, certain set backs, etc.) that will need to go through the Planning and Zoning Commission Committee and the council before it can be approved.

Here is the current ordinance in Lockport, IL:
§ 90.03 CERTAIN ANIMALS PROHIBITED; EXCEPTIONS.

(A) Livestock and the like prohibited. No goat pen, chicken coop, runway, yard or other place for the keeping of any goat, chicken, pigeon, goose, turkey, mule, horse, donkey, sheep, bovine, swine, or other such animal or fowl of any kind shall be maintained within the city except as provided herein. No horse, mule, donkey, bovine, goat, sheep, or swine shall be raised or kept in the city. No predatory mammal or predatory bird of any species may be kept or raised within the city. No dog trained or used for dog fighting may be kept or raised within the city.

(B) Wildlife prohibited. No person shall possess, harbor, or keep any bird or furbearing animal which is deemed a protected species by the Illinois Department of Conservation. The provisions of this subchapter may be waived if a person possesses a Salvage License or Falconry License issued by the Illinois Department of Conservation.

(`79 Code, § 90.003) (Ord. 96-003, passed 5-22-96) Penalty, see § 90.99

Note that this ordinance was passed in 1996! This was almost 29 years ago!

Please help me with steps, wording, etc. to get this ordinance to change! Thank you!!!!!

 

[DobieLover]

Get the wording of the ordinances in areas close to your area and use that as a stepping stone for your proposal.

Be reasonable but make sure you have the ordinances written for what is not only neighbor friendly but best for the chickens.

Include set-backs, maybe something like "coop/run must be 10' minimum from property lines".

State a minimum of 3 birds but no more than 7 or something like that. Chickens are flock animals and must be kept in flocks. If you only have 2 and one dies, the other is left all alone.

No roosters.

Birds must be kept confined to coop/run at all times. Nothing will irritate someone that doesn't like chickens more than having them jump over your fence and start scratching up their prize flower bed or start digging holes in their lawn/garden beds to dust bathe in.

The coop should have a minimum of 4 sq ft per bird with 2 nest boxes that are not included in the the floor space. The coop must have a run with a solid roof on it and the run must offer a minimum of 15 sq ft of space per bird on well drained soil. This will be important to make sure that the run doesn't get smelly from overcrowding. I would also recommend that everything must be secured with 1/2" hardware cloth as this will not only protect the birds but keep rodents away. That will be something someone will think of as a reason to not permit chickens. Address that concern before it is brought up.

You will need to propose manure management options with routine cleaning requirements. I compost my chicken's manure but it stinks to high heaven when I first dump a bucket full from morning sifting off the poop boards. I live rurally so only I have that pleasantry to enjoy. You may have to bag it and discard it in the weekly refuse collection. Or if you want to compost it on site, you will have to immediately bury the dumped bucket under leaves/grass/other dry organic matter to keep it from stinking.