Denver, get ready for a chicken fight.
A coalition of folks who want to make it easier to keep backyard chickens and goats in Denver is gearing up for a battle to change city zoning laws.
It’s an issue that will generate a good bit of heat. The locavore movement — eating local and producing food close to home — is increasingly popular, and its proponents are fervent, to say the least.
Some of those who want to change Denver’s laws are proposing that people be able to keep up to 10 chickens (no crowing roosters) and three dwarf goats on an urban lot without a permit.
We agree with them that the current process, which requires a separate administrative zoning review, is too onerous.
But we part ways with these well-intentioned locavores when it comes to their belief that anybody in Denver ought to be able to have what amounts to a dozen farm animals without getting a permit or going through any regulatory process.
That’s too drastic a change for a city as urbanized as Denver, where houses frequently sit very close to property lines.
As Denver City Council members contemplate this request, we think they ought to think about a more modest revision that offers some protections to neighbors who have reservations about the idea of a barnyard next door.
Perhaps council members should think about allowing a smaller number of animals — three or four chickens, for instance — but only after the urban farmer obtains a permit. Anything more would require a special zoning review, which is what people have to get now if they want to keep chickens, ducks or goats.
The purpose of the permit would be to give the city’s animal control or code inspectors the chance to make sure that there is adequate space for the animals and workable a plan to keep the area clean.
Doug Kelley, director of Denver Animal Care and Control, told us about someone who wanted to keep chickens on a third-floor balcony, which is clearly a bad idea.
The backyard livestock advocates hate this example, probably because they are meticulous about constructing appropriate backyard barnyards and keeping them clean.
But the laws shouldn’t be written for the best actors.
They ought to offer some measure of protection for neighbors against the potentially worst animal owners.
If the city checks out the situation up front, and offers some sobering advice about how often chicken manure needs to be picked up so it doesn’t stink to high heaven, perhaps that will alleviate potential conflicts.
There also ought to be some requirements as part of the permitting process as to where on a property a chicken coop or goat shelter can sit.
Your barnyard dream next to our kitchen window is going to be a problem.
If neighbors still end up having issues with the smell or noise, they can turn to existing nuisance and noise ordinances for redress.
We have written previously in support of Front Range cities allowing backyard chickens so long as there are protections for nearby property owners and the rules fit the sensibilities of each city or town.
It is appropriate, we think, to make Denver’s process less burdensome, but we would be concerned about allowing up to a dozen farm animals to be kept on small city lots without at least some regulation on the front end.
