We appreciate your inquiry and the passion you bring to the issue. A healthy dialogue only serves to improve policy and the services the City provides to our community.

After much consideration, the permitting of chicken keeping in the City poses too many difficulties for the majority of people, thus outweighing the minor benefit for a small minority. The City of Parma, a densely populated, inner-ring suburb, is simply not well suited for the keeping of domestic farm fowl including chickens. Here are some of the challenges:

Limited resources

As you allude to, currently there are residents who violate the regulatory requirements for pet ownership. Likewise, if chicken keeping is permitted, there are those residents who will also fail to keep their chickens as they should. Even after educational campaigns, residents will be unaware of the specific regulations governing chicken coops and may not fully understand their responsibilities as chicken owners. There will also be those who simply do not care about the requirements. This will lead to public health and other violations, unintentional or otherwise. As a result, enforcement resources will be required to address the problem.

Instituting a permit process and the enforcement of chicken keeping regulations requires sufficient funding, staffing, and time. Our Animal Control Department would become responsible for permitting and enforcing domestic farm animal regulations on top of an already heavy workload. Animal Control resources are stretched with a single Animal Control officer and part-time officer.

Furthermore, enforcing chicken keeping regulations would involve time and coordination between various other agencies, requiring resources from the Safety Department, Building Department’s zoning and code enforcement staff, police, Law Department, and public health departments.

Enforcing chicken keeping regulations involves demonstrating that a violation has occurred. This requires gathering evidence to support enforcement actions, such as photographs, documentation, and witness statements. Identifying properties with non-compliant chicken coops can be challenging, especially if they are hidden from public view, or if residents are intentionally concealing them. Proving non-compliance is time-consuming and requires legal support from the Law Department and even from police and the Building Department. And all the while that the investigatory and prosecution process is ongoing, neighboring residents are made to suffer the fallout.

The City would not be able to adequately meet the additional permitting, monitoring, and enforcement requirements without an increase in manpower. To do so would require the expenditure of additional taxpayer dollars. We would be asking all taxpayers to fund the necessary resources so that a small minority of people can keep chickens.

Odor, waste management, health concerns

Chicken coops can generate odors and waste, especially when not properly maintained. Accumulated chicken waste can emit unpleasant smells and attract pests, which can lead to hygiene and sanitation issues. Parma has limited space and infrastructure to effectively buffer such problems, including the effective disposal of chicken waste. Also, chickens, like any other animal, can carry diseases, parasites, or pathogens that can potentially be transmitted.

Property value and aesthetics

Many argue that chicken coops can have a negative impact on property values and the overall aesthetics of a neighborhood. The presence of coops may be seen as unsightly or incompatible with a residential area, particularly in urban or suburban settings.

Predation and wildlife concerns

Chicken coops can attract predators, such as raccoons, foxes, or even stray cats and dogs, which may pose a threat to the birds themselves, as well as neighboring pets. In an environment in which we have increasing deer and coyote populations, it would be unwise to increase potential interactions between domestic animals and native species.

We hope you understand the reasons for our decision even if you disagree with it. As I said, we do appreciate and believe that a healthy dialogue only serves to improve policy, and we thank you for your input.