This op-ed originally appeared in City Weekly on September 11, 2024.
Imagine your city—like Washington Terrace in Weber County—is about to decide whether to allow residents to keep backyard chickens. While it might seem like a niche issue, it reflects broader trends in how cities are rethinking property owners’ freedoms.
From a liberty standpoint, owning chickens is not much different from owning cats or dogs. Animal ownership comes with responsibilities such as feeding, sheltering and maintaining sanitary conditions. Although caring for chickens may be new to some, it’s well within the average person’s ability to manage.
Concerns about noise and odors often surface in debates over animal ownership. However, when properly cared for, the noise and odors from chickens are minimal and hardly noticeable, even in close quarters.
City regulations on backyard chickens should be straightforward, focusing on key issues like noise, odor and sanitation. Farmington, for example, offers a great example of how to regulate backyard chickens effectively. They avoid unnecessary rules, such as requiring permits and fees, imposing overly strict limits on the number of chickens, or banning them on smaller lots. This approach balances the needs of residents while keeping the regulations simple and fair.
Local Government Policy Analyst
Lee is the Local Government Policy Analyst at Libertas Institute. He has had a lifelong passion for research, writing, entrepreneurship, local government, and building relationships with people from all walks of life.