City officials presented the changes, which will be voted on at a future meeting, to Richardson City Council during the July 22 meeting.
What you need to know
According to city documents, there was a need to improve staff’s legal authority, better serve the community and address animal-related issues, and clarify the city’s ordinance. The updates also reflect best practices for animal services professionals and nearby cities, Animal Services Manager Noura Jammal said.
One of the new regulations proposed is a maximum number of chickens, eight, that can be kept by property owners and banning roosters. Council members directed city staff to increase the limit from six after several residents claimed the cap was too restrictive.
“What we have on the books isn’t working,” Council member Jennifer Justice said. “We need this ordinance both to codify the state law and to address concerns we’ve received from the community [about noise and the smell].”
Digging deeper
City Manager Don Magner said state law requires that cities allow at least six chickens to be kept by property owners, but maximums can be implemented by individual municipalities. The new regulations are meant to bring the city into compliance with state law.
Jammal added that the new regulations will help maintain the integrity of neighborhoods by establishing requirements for coops and creating basic sanitary requirements for areas where the animals are kept.
The specifics
Jammal said a few changes are planned to update existing regulations, including:
- Reducing the hold time for an animal without traceable identification to three business days from five business days. Animals with traceable identification would still be kept for at least five business days.
- Amending city registration to require a one-time registration costing $15 and a microchip instead of the annual process which had varying costs depending on whether a pet was spayed or neutered.
- Updating the noise complaint process to require 15 minutes of recorded loud noise from an animal, which is intended to make enforcement for staff easier.
- Inhumane treatment, which was not previously included in the city’s ordinance
- New trap guidelines that require individuals to check a trap every 12 hours, prohibiting placement in areas that would endanger the health of an animal exposed to extreme conditions, and banning traps that cause serious bodily injury or death to an animal
- Animal housing requirements
- Proof of ownership to reclaim a pet, including vaccination records, a photo and microchip
Council is expected to consider adoption of the new regulations at a future meeting.
Magner said staff could compile data for a one-year check-in after adoption if council members directed his staff to do so.
