Multiple Leander residents have spoken before City Council over the past three months to request a change to a city animal ordinance.

A handful of citizens have asked council members to institute a new limit for the distance chickens are required to be kept from a residence. The current ordinance states that animals such as chickens cannot be kept within 200 feet of any residence or within 500 feet of any building.

Some residents told council members the ordinance has made it difficult to own chickens. During a June 2 meeting, Rosie Miller, an Emerald Isle Drive resident, told the council she previously owned 13 chickens and spoke of the positive benefit the animals had on her family.

“My kids would take a red fire wagon, load it up with the veggies from our garden and chicken eggs, and we would go around and give eggs to neighbors,” she said. “So we started to build relationships; it really built community; it was a great opportunity for my kids.”

Department of Animal Services Supervisor Edna Stambaugh said the department has reviewed all the ordinances, but has suggested few changes. Some other possible animal ordinance alterations include changing the pet registration ordinance to allow micro-chipping a pet as a form of registration.

The department sent the first draft of possible new ordinances to the city manger’s office in May and followed up with a revised version in the beginning of June. City Manager Kent Cagle said he hopes to bring the revised ordinances before council at its July 21 meeting, which could be followed by public hearings.

Leander Police Chief Greg Minton said the city has been in the process of changing its animal control ordinances, including the chicken ordinance, prior to citizens communicating their concerns to council.

The animal ordinances were last updated in 2003, and Minton said he wanted to ensure city staff is knowledgeable about current legislation. Stambaugh also reviewed the current ordinances and identified a handful of contradictions she said she is hoping to fix. 

“It will make [the ordinances] more understandable for our citizens when they read them,” she said. “So that they do understand what is required of them as pet owners and livestock owners.”

One contradiction is seen in article 2.03.008, which states all chickens, or fowl, shall be kept within a pen, coop or hutch that must be at least 50 feet from a residence. However, article 2.03.011 states that chickens must be kept 200 feet away from a residence.

“So [the chickens] have to be kept in a pen, coop or hutch 50 feet from a residence, but the chickens themselves have to be kept 200 feet from any residence,” Stambaugh said. “You can’t do that—you can’t meet keeping the coop 50 feet [away] and putting the chickens 200 feet away when they have to be in that coop.”

Stambaugh said she hopes to lower the distance requirement for chickens from 200 feet to 50 feet. She said the animal control office researched an optimal distance and checked ordinances of other nearby cities and determined 50 feet as the best option for residents who want chickens and for those who prefer some space from their neighbor’s birds.

“We have both types of citizens in our city. We have—just to be frank—our chicken lovers, and the people who don’t really care for chickens,” she said. “We feel like 50 feet is a happy medium.”

Minton said his department is not currently issuing citations for the distance requirement in the chicken ordinance until new ordinances are adopted. In general, however, he said his department is willing to work with residents to comply with ordinances before issuing citations.

“If someone is trying to do the right thing, we’re always willing to work with them,” he said.