Locavore Movement Has Hatched a Surprising New Legal Problem

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If, five years ago, you asked members of local government in a major city what was likely to be one of the hot-button issues of today, it is unlikely that chickens would have made anyone’s top-10 list. But since that time, the “locavore” movement has taken off and, with it, hatched a surprising new legal problem for local governments nationwide: urban chickens.

There are no nationwide statistics on urban chicken farming. But the website BackYardChickens.com now counts some 30,000 members and, according to founder Rob Ludlow, adds some 100 new members a day.

Many members of these online communities are looking for tips and tactics for persuading local governments to permit chickens because not all neighbors take kindly to a chicken coop pressed up against their already tight urban confines, says Stephen K. Postema, attorney for the city of Ann Arbor, Mich.

Ann Arbor had so much interest in the locavore movement that last year the City Council was forced to re-examine its urban agriculture laws. The result was a permit pro­cess, a limit on the number of hens allowed, and a caveat that neighbors had to agree before the permit was granted. In the end, Postema says, 12 residents applied for permits and only 11 have chickens, as one coop fell victim to a neighbor’s dog.

Read the full story "Chicken Not-So-Little" in the July ABA Journal.