City OKs backyard hens for residents
Urban hens are now allowed in most backyards throughout Bakersfield after a vote by the City Council on Wednesday.
In a 4-3 vote, with Councilmembers Willie Rivera, Andrae Gonzales, Bob Smith and Jacquie Sullivan in favor, the council gave the green light for up to 12 hens to be raised by families in single-family homes.
The council chose to allow a scaled number of hens on each property depending on the size of the lot, approving an ordinance that goes as low as four hens on properties where the coop is 10 feet away from an offsite residential building. Individuals hoping to raise the maximum of 12 chickens will need a property that accommodates a coop that is 30 feet away from an offsite residence.
Several provisions within the ordinance attempted to address potential complaints that could
crop up from neighbors owning hens. Noisy roosters are still illegal under the ordinance, while the female hens are allowed. The ordinance also states that coops must be kept clean and odor free, however chickens will be able to roam throughout backyards during the day.
The ordinance touched nearly all homeowners in Bakersfield. Previously, the city only allowed hens to be raised within the city mostly on plots of land zoned for agriculture. The new ordinance extended the households allowed to have hens to R-1 zones, or nearly every single-family residence in the city.
The Development Services Department estimated at least 83,335 parcels within the city would be allowed to have urban hens under the new ordinance.
Initially a strong swell of supporters urged the council to allow hens in local backyards. However, at Wednesday’s meeting a sizeable group spoke out against urban hens.
“We have to think about our entire community, not somebody that has a personal need and a personal opinion that a chicken in their backyard will improve their lifestyle,” said Gary Simmons.
The Bakersfield Association of Realtors opposed the ordinances, saying not enough public discussion and evaluation had gone into the process.
“The domino consequences and unintended cumulative implications of such sweeping ordinances are far reaching, and we do not believe all possibilities have been fully and properly vetted,”
Association President Ronda Newport wrote in a letter to the Council. “There needs to be more clear lot size restrictions, clear set backs, and clear limitations to protect the integrity and safety of our neighborhoods.”
Despite the recent upswell in opposition, many city residents spoke out in support of urban hens at the meeting.
“Backyard hen support is everywhere in our community,” said MT Merickel, who runs a website advocating for chicken legalization. “Allowing backyard hens is happening up and down California and our nation even in our current situation because backyard hens are safe.”
As the meeting went on, a long line of speakers spoke out in favor of backyard hens, many simply saying they attended the meeting to show their support while bringing up benefits of ownership like food independence and companionship.
Councilman Smith has been steadily in favor of the hen ordinance since it came before the council several months ago, and he continued his support on Wednesday.
“I do think we are a family friendly community and this is a great family activity,” he said during the meeting. Addressing complaints that Bakersfield residents would not follow the rules set out by the ordinance, he continued, “I don’t like the idea of building a society around the irresponsible people. We are a free society and I believe in building a society around responsible citizens and freedom.”
You can reach Sam Morgen at 661-395-7415. You may also follow him on Twitter @smorgenTBC.