PUBLIC NOTICE TO: Council Members Media Mayor Roswarski City Attorney FROM: Cindy Murray, City Clerk DATE: April gth, 9 2025 RE: Ordinance Committee Meeting A meeting of the Lafayette City Council Ordinance Committee has been scheduled for April 17, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. in the Common Council Chambers, located on the 1st floor Lafayette City Hall, 20 N. 6th Street, Lafayette, Indiana. The meeting is to receive public input on a proposed ordinance to allow chickens within the City of] Lafayette. A copy of the proposed ordinance can be found below or at this link: htps/wyy.lafiyetteingwAsemdceme.te/ViewFle/Aenda. 04172025-1880 ORDINANCE 2025- AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 10 - ANIMALS WHEREAS, the City ofLafayette recognizes the growing interest among residents in sustainable living practices, local food production, and responsible urban agriculture; and WHEREAS, the current municipal code prohibits the ownership of chickens within city limits, limiting residents' ability to engage in small-scale urban farming; and WHEREAS, allowing the keeping of chickens in residential areas, subject to reasonable regulations, can provide benefits such as access to fresh eggs and educational opportunities while promoting sustainability and self-sufficiently; and WHEREAS, the City ofl Lafayette seeks to balance these benefits with the need to protect public health, safety and neighborhood harmony through appropriate regulations governing the care and keeping of chickens; and WHEREAS, while this ordinance permits the keeping of chickens within city limits under specified conditions, it does not override any private restrictive. covenants, homeowners' association rules, or deed restrictions that may prohibit or further regulate the keeping of chickens on certain properties; and NOW, THEREFORE, beit ordained by the Common Council oft the City ofLafayette, Indiana, as follows: Section 1. Section 10.01.100 oft the Lafayette Municipal Code entitled "Definitions" shall be amended by adding the following definitions in alphabetical order: "Chicken" means a domestic bird typically kept on a farm. This definition does not include other fowl, such as, but not limited to, peacocks, turkeys, or waterfowl. "Chicken flock" means one chicken or a group of two or more chickens which contains no more than five hens and no roosters. "Chicken coop" means an enclosed structure for housing chickens that provides shelter from the elements. "Chicken pen" means an enclosure that is connected to and/or surrounding a chicken coop for the purpose of allowing chickens to leave the coop while remaining in an enclosed, predator-safe environment. 1 Section 2. Section 10.01.100 of the Lafayette Municipal Code entitled "Definitions" shall be amended by modifying the definition of livestock to state: "Livestock" means and includes any COW, pig, horse, pony, goat, sheep, llama, mule, donkey, or any other animal typically raised for agricultural purposes but does not include chickens authorized under this Chapter. Section 3. New Chapter. Chapter 10.11 entitled "Chickens" shall read as follows: Section 10.11.010 Chickens. Residential property owners are permitted to keep a chicken flock, as defined in this chapter, for non-commercial use. Section 10.11.020 Enclosures. A. A chicken coop and chicken pen shall be provided for all chicken flocks on residential properties. During daylight hours chickens may be in the chicken pen. B. The chicken coop shall: 1. Be enclosed with solid material on all sides and have a solid roof and door(s). 2. The coop shall be at least eighteen (18) inches high and provide at least one (1) square foot of floor area per chicken. 3. Traditional building materials may be used. 4. Doors shall be constructed SO that they can shut and latch. 5. Vents, covered with wire, will be placed as necessary for adequate ventilation. 6. The coop shall be impermeable to rodents, wild birds, and predators, including dogs and cats. C. The chicken pen shall: 1. Be construçted of traditional building materials and be predator-proof. 2. The pen shall provide at least two (2) square feet of area per chicken. 3. The fence shall rise no more than six (6) feet above the ground. 4. The pen shall be covered with wire, aviary netting, or solid roofing. D. The chicken coop and chicken pen must be at least twenty (20) feet from any home or capable of being used for human habitation, unless the harborer owns or lives in the building. E. The chicken coop and chicken pen must be at least ten (10) feet from the property line of any adjoining lots. F. Chicken coops and chicken pens shall be located behind the residential structure. G. All chicken coops and chicken runs shall comply with the requirements for accessory structures outlined in the Unified Zoning Ordinance as adopted by the City of Lafayette as the same may be hereafter amended or replaced. 2 Section 10.11.030 Standards for maintaining chicken flocks. A. All harborers of chicken flocks shall: 1. Operate in such a manner to not constitute a public nuisance or disturb neighboring residents due to noise, odor, or damage. 2. Operate in a manner to not pose a threat to public health. Harborers shall isolate chickens which are sick or diseased to not engender the health and well-being of other animals and humans. When necessary for the protection of the public health and safety, an animal control officer may require the specified animal being kept or confined in a secured enclosure. All provisions relating to the harboring of chickens is subordinate to any state or federal code governing the treatment of chickens in the event of a threat to human or livestock health. 3. Always keep all chickens completely and securely enclosed and under the control oft the harborer's property. 4. The chicken coop, chicken pen, and surrounding area shall be kept clean, dry, odor-free and in a neat and sanitary condition always. All manure, uneaten feed, and other trash shall be removed daily, and disposed ofin a sanitary manner. The property owner shall take all necessary action to reduce the attraction of predators and rodents and the potential infestation of insects and parasites. 5. Always provide chickens with access to feed and clean water, such feed and water shall be unavailable to rodents, wild birds, dogs, and other predators. Section 10.11.990 Penalty A. Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter that does not have a specific penalty for that provision shall be fined for each offense, in any sum not more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) and each day's violation shall constitute a separate offense. B. Violations of this chapter may result in the order of removal or physical removal, relocation and/or destruction of any chicken(s) at the discretion of an animal control officer or his/her designee. Section 4. This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect upon passage and publication as required by law. ADOPTED AND PASSED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL ofthe City ofLafayette, Indiana this day of 2025. Nancy Nargi, President 3 ATTEST: Cindy Murray, City Clerk Presented by me to the Mayor ofthe City of Lafayette, Indiana, for his approval and signature this day of 2025. Cindy Murray, City Clerk This Ordinance approved and signed by me on this day of 2025. Tony Roswarski, Mayor ATTEST: Cindy Murray, City Clerk Sponsored by: Councilmember Eileen Hession Weiss 4