Feeding the Locavores, One Chicken at a Time: Regulating Backyard Chickens

Abstract

As the local and regional food shed movement and the urban agriculture movement continue to grow, uses once considered only found on the rural farm are now finding their ways into urban and suburban communities. As a result, municipalities across the country are now facing the challenge of regulating the keeping of chickens in residential districts. From nuisance law to zoning regulations addressing the number of hens that may be kept on parcels, whether roosters are allowed, the size and location of coops and other issues, this article reviews the rapidly developing trends in this area of land use law.

Keywords: chickens, urban agriculture, zoning, land use, backyard chickens, hens, roosters, locavore, nuisance law

JEL Classification: K11