The Brooklyn Park City Council is discussing a code change that would allow chickens at residential properties.
In April 2022, the City Council tabled the first reading of an ordinance to allow for the keeping of chickens (hens only) due to concerns related to avian influenza. The current city council will be having a discussion on the proposed ordinance to determine next steps and if this will move forward to a first reading. The proposed ordinance was brought to council in 2022 based results from the 2021 resident survey.
Here’s a summary of the 2021 survey responses:
- Strongly Support – 13%
- Support – 54%
- Oppose – 17%
- Strongly Oppose – 5%
- Don’t Know/Refused – 11%
Most residents who responded to the survey were in favor of this proposal, recognizing the potential benefits and responsible regulations it would entail.
If the ordinance change is adopted, the City would allow up to four female chickens to be kept in backyards, with proper regulations and care to ensure their well-being. This means no roosters will be allowed, mitigating any potential noise concerns, while still providing residents with the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of having chickens as part of their home environment.
Next steps
The Brooklyn Park City Council discussed the next steps for the proposed chicken ordinance and they removed this from tabling with the request that this to be brought back later this year after the resident survey is completed. A question on whether to allow chickens to be kept on smaller residential parcels is included in the 2023 biannual resident survey that will be conducted this fall.