Permit requirements/ cost question

[sjmjrgkmg]

For those of you who live in cities or towns, do you need a permit or license to keep you flock and, if so, what is the cost? I'm doing some informal research so that I can go before our city council in Rochester, NY armed with some data. This year the license fee for keeping hens in the city doubled from the already (in my opinion) exorbitant rate of $37 to $75. If you don't mind letting me know which city or town you're in and what the permit fee is, I could go to them with some sense of how other cities do it. Thank you!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Our county has 92 cities/municipalities in addition to the main city.
Around here it varies from $0 and no permit required to $300 for a permit for 3 chickens.
About 40% allow chickens. Ironic as it sounds, the more demographics of a city, the more likely they are to allow them. The poorer the community, the more likely they are to restrict them.

 

[sjmjrgkmg]

Wow - is that $300 a one-time cost, or is it annual? Either way, it's ridiculous!
Thanks for responding!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm pretty sure it is annual. You can look up University City, MO and look at their ordinances. Oh, and they only give 4 permits at a time, no one currently has a permit, yet they aren't currently issuing permits.
Mine was a one time $50 permit.

I thought I would add that 92 of the 100 largest cities in the US allow chickens.

What almost always happens when a city is considering allowing them is that their city attorney searches the internet and models theirs after what 90% of other cities have done. They do it without any idea of the needs of chickens.

 

[~KH~]

We had a one time fee here of under $30 (Southern California).

 

[dunnmom]

Oklahoma City does not currently require a permit for backyard chickens, but the regulations are still being worked on and not a big priority for our legislators.

 

[Hopperkiller]

Was employed by local govt for over 40 years. A permit is simply a tax in which the consumer receives nothing. Have heard of all of their justification but i can follow my bull with a shovel and get more useful rhetoric. Good luck in your endeavor.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

We had a one time fee here of under $30 (Southern California).

It is the specific municipality that assesses the fee, not the state. Of the 92 cities in my county, about 40 allow chickens. Some don't require a permit. Of those that do, they all charge a different fee.

Was employed by local govt for over 40 years. A permit is simply a tax in which the consumer receives nothing. Have heard of all of their justification but i can follow my bull with a shovel and get more useful rhetoric. Good luck in your endeavor.

Very true. A permit is a tax and the money is the primary motive for permits. Building permits are another example, as are user fees for parks and other public spaces.

 

[~KH~]

It is the specific municipality that assesses the fee, not the state. Of the 92 cities in my county, about 40 allow chickens. Some don't require a permit. Of those that do, they all charge a different fee.

Yes, and for instance, the town right next to us doesn't require special permitting and allows 25 chickens (or rabbits lol) per yard. We're only allowed to have 4 and have to jump through hoops to get permitted.

 

[TXchickmum]

We live in a city in Texas. The city requires a permit for keeping backyard chickens, but there is no fee.