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Ease Restrictions on Hens in DC!
  1. Signatures
    211 out of 250
    Petitioning
    1. City Councilmember, Chair of Committee on Health (David Catania)
  2. Created By
    DC Food For All
    DC
About this Petition Petition Letter
Why This Is Important

It was once common for families to keep chickens in the District. Growing food locally was encouraged--even considered patriotic. But during the industrial food revolution, many cities banned backyard hens entirely.

Today in DC it is technically legal to keep hens -- but the law (Section 902.7 (a) Animal Control Code) states that hen houses cannot be within 50 feet of any place of residence. This essentially bans hens from the vast majority of neighborhoods in the city.

There is now a national movement to re-introduce chickens in cities, as part of the movement away from industrial food and back to wholesome, locally produced food.  Cities all over the country -- 30 in just the last year! -- have changed their local ordinances to allow backyard hens (read more in this USA Today article or see city chickens in this Today Show clip).

Rather than setting strict limits on where chickens can be raised, these laws focus on responsible ownership. The laws address concerns about noise, odor, and pests by not allowing roosters, requiring hens be kept in clean, secure, sanitary enclosures, and providing neighbors and authorities with means to monitor and enforce those requirements.  

Why does this matter?  Many people are deciding they want to feed their families sustainably with food grown and raised under humane and environmentally-friendly conditions. They don’t want to buy eggs from chickens that are kept in tiny cages and fed animal by-products when they can grab fresh eggs from their own backyard – eggs that happen to be more nutritious than the factory-farmed eggs at the supermarket. 

Cities across the US are bringing back the backyard hen!  Here in DC, our city council is considering a bill that would allow more people to keep hens, safely and cleanly, in their backyards.  We ask that city council hold a public hearing so that our representatives can learn more and consider new regulations that would let more residents keep hens.   Please help us raise the profile of this issue with our elected officals and bring DC back to the forefront of the sustainable local food movement. 

Recent Signatures

Please amend our laws to allow chickens!

Dear Councilmember Catania,

I am writing to urge you to change existing municipal regulations so that more DC residents can own chickens. The Urban Farming Amendment Act of 2009 would allow for this, and community input would help to improve and strengthen the bill. I ask that your Committee on Health open up this discussion at a public hearing as soon as possible.

Chickens can be raised in clean, secure, and sanitary enclosures in city backyards. Relaxing existing restrictions on raising chickens would allow DC residents to become more self-sufficient, to increase their food security, and to cultivate a healthy, local food source. Right now, DC residents who do not want to support factory-farming of animals have two choices: boycott eggs or buy farmers market eggs for $5/dozen. Relaxing existing restrictions on owning poultry would give residents a low-price, fantastic-tasting, empowering alternative.

I also encourage you to include safeguards to ensure responsible ownership. If neighbors raise concerns to the City about the security or cleanliness of a poultry house, and unsanitary, noisy, or unsafe conditions are confirmed by inspection, those residents should not be allowed to own poultry.

Large cities including San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York all allow backyard poultry. In just the past year, more than 30 municipal jurisdictions have joined their ranks by passing similar laws. Please empower DC residents to produce more of their own food in this very rewarding way. Allowing more hens will help move our city toward a healthier, more localized and sustainable food system.

Please hold a public hearing to consider this issue soon. Thank you.

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