We are asking Seven Hills to modernize its backyard chicken ordinance so that residents can keep a small flock without unnecessary barriers. The current regulations make lawful ownership impractical. We support reasonable measures that protect neighbors and the community, while respecting property rights and reflecting current practices adopted successfully by many other communities.

   If we require coops to be placed at a reasonable distance from neighboring residential structures, allow the hen limit and coop to reflect the size of a property, and give discretionary authority to those wanting to responsibly keep the hens, we protect neighbors from noise, nuisance, and odor without forcing residents into personal neighborhood disputes and denying a homeowner the fair use of their own property. 

   Compared to surrounding communities, Seven Hills has excessive regulations that neither appropriately addresses the concerns of those who oppose chicken ownership nor supports best practices of backyard chicken keeping.  

   We are not asking Seven Hills to remove safeguards. We are asking the city to adopt reasonable standards to both protect neighbors and allow responsible residents to keep a small backyard flock in a time where self-sufficiency and self-reliance are increasingly becoming a desire and necessity.

   The changes we are proposing include: 

1. Amending the setback requirement to reflect the average lot size of residential properties and mirror those of surrounding cities’ ordinances.
2. Eliminating superfluous coop and run regulations, and replacing them with expert husbandry recommendations.
3. Removing the "adjacent neighbor consent" stipulation.

Join us in urging the City Council to amend Ordinance 505.023. By signing this petition, you support the rights of homeowners to make sustainable choices on their own property without the overreaching hand of government.