I was looking up the exact wording for the rooster question and noticed that a new city code had been enacted on April 18th. This gets rid of the 10,000 square foot rule for Phoenicians (section b). Now you only have to have written permission from each neighbor that is less than 80 feet from your birds. I read this to mean that their actual house has to be within 80 feet, not just the property line. Great news for backyard chickens in Phoenix!
As always, if you have loud, obnoxious birds, they will fall under the noise ordinance if someone complains. ;)
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, it is hereby declared to be a nuisance and it shall be unlawful for any person to keep rodents or poultry within the City. No poultry or rodents shall be kept in an enclosure within eighty feet of any residence within the City. Poultry may be kept within eighty feet of a residence if written permission consenting to the keeping of poultry less than eighty feet from a residence is first obtained from each lawful occupant and each lawful owner of such residence. Poultry shall not be kept in the front yard area of any lot or parcel within the City. Poultry and rodents shall be kept in an enclosure so constructed as to prevent such poultry and rodents from wandering upon property belonging to others.
(b) No more than twenty head of poultry nor more than twenty-five head of rodents nor more than twenty-five head comprising a combination of rodents and poultry shall be kept upon the first one-half acre or less. An additional one-half acre shall be required for each additional twenty head of poultry or for each additional twenty-five head of rodents or for each additional twenty-five head comprising a combination of poultry and rodents. For areas larger than two and one-half acres the number of poultry or rodents shall not be limited.
(c) No male poultry shall be kept within the City limits except such male poultry as are incapable of making vocal noises which disturb the peace, comfort or health of any person residing within the City.
(d) All such enclosures shall be kept in such condition that no offensive, disagreeable or noxious smell or odor shall arise therefrom to the injury, annoyance or inconvenience of any inhabitant of the neighborhood thereof.
Replies
The 10,000 square feet rule applies to goats and other livestock... also bees, I believe. The rule downtown has not required 10,000 square feet for poultry in the 4 years that we've lived here. 80 ft from the closest neighbor's house (not property line as Rachel suggests) is all that is required, folks. And yes, you can simply move the coop to exactly 80 ft away from any opposing neighbor and it's legit. For those of you who may have visited our coop on Portland St for the Tour de Coops last year... that is the ONLY reason our coop was shoved into the far back corner of the lot. And there, we happily raised 20 chickens with a small herd of Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats (because that property was just above 10,000 square ft) in the heart of downtown Phoenix, right next to 3 story condos.
Viva la hens!!
I thought it hadn't changed from when I last read it. But I wasn't sure so I didn't say anything.
I have always thought that was funny too. No where in city code does it limit lagomorphs! ;)
I can only imagine how that conversation would go with an inspector.
I know that there was a lot of campaigning to get this adjusted by many members of the VPA, so three cheers to being squeaky wheels!