The city of Murrieta approved an amendment to the ordinance allowing property owners within city limits to keep chickens on their property during its Dec. 6 meeting at City Hall.
The amendments to Section 16.44.040 of the Development Code – which regulates animal keeping – “establishes standards and requirements for the keeping of chickens in the Single Family Residential zone districts, which include operations and activities that may generate potential noise, smell, dust or other nuisances.”
The move came about following numerous requests from residents requesting an amendment to the animal keeping regulations to allow chickens on single family residential lots less than the city’s current standard of a half-acre minimum lot size.
Murrieta’s animal keeping standards for chickens required a half-acre minimum lot size and was only allowed in the Estate Residential and Rural Residential zones and a maximum of 30 chickens per acre. The code also requires a 50-foot separation distance from any habitable residence for the enclosure; however, the code did not require the chickens to be contained within an enclosure.
Under the amendment, chickens must be enclosed in a coop in either a rear of side yard at least 10 feet from the rear or side yard property line. Coops will be required to have an enclosed runway in area providing protection from weather and must be kept clean and in sanitary condition and free of offensive odors. Slaughtering of any animal is and commercial keeping of chickens still prohibited in any residential zone. Roosters are not allowed and the maximum number of chickens to kept on each property is dependent on the size of the lot in which the home is established on.
The amendment to the ordinance allows those living on a minimum lot size of 7,200-square-feet to a half an acre to keep four chickens. Homeowners on properties from one-half to a full acre will be allowed to keep 12 chickens and property greater than an acre will be able to house 30 chickens under the ordinance.
A public hearing on the matter was held where several people gave comments in support the move.
“I think it’s very important for people to be able to have chickens who want to have chickens,” said Murrieta resident Donald Lambert. “I know people who have dogs who bark all of the time and I much prefer the chickens.”
After public comments, which included a plea to drop the lot size down to 6,000-square-feet, Councilman Rick Gibbs said it had been a longtime coming and that he supported staff’s recommendation.
“Government moves slowly and I would prefer to support the staff recommendation and after a year or two when we have some empirical showing that is OK to go even lower, we could do it at that time,” Gibbs said. “I see no reason to go against staff recommendation based on the sampling they have done outside Murrieta.”
After some discussion on chicken coops, lot size and other issues that could arise due to the changes, Gibbs made a motion to approve the proposed amendments, seconded by Councilman Jonathan Ingram. The motion passed unanimously.
The new rules will become effective 30 days in January.
The cities of Hemet and Temecula also allow backyard chickens.
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