Minneapolis OKs eased rules for keeping chickens in city, among other changes

The policy changes come after 50 community meetings.

February 15, 2016 at 12:51AM
Rob Czernik held up Scarlet Johensson, a 3 year-old Red Star chicken in his back yard flock. He runs a feed business as well as a consulting service for city folk who want to keep chickens.
Rob Czernik held up Scarlet Johensson, a 3 year-old Red Star chicken in his back yard flock. He runs a feed business as well as a consulting service for city folk who want to keep chickens. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Enough revisions to fill Noah's Ark are being made to how Minneapolis governs critters big and small in the city.

Approved Friday by Mayor Betsy Hodges and the City Council, the changes address the safety of animals, the keeping of chickens and other matters in the jurisdiction of the city's Animal Care and Control agency.

The makeover "sets clear requirements around the safety of animals [and] removes counterproductive regulations," the city said in a prepared statement.

The changes take effect Saturday. Among the revisions:

• A permit will be required for reptiles and amphibians.

• An owner must stay close enough to a tethered animal to protect the animal, or someone else, from it.

• Traps for nuisance animals such as raccoons and squirrels must be humane.

Owning chickens in the city received a substantial amount of attention. Among the new regulations:

• The requirement that residents must approve a neighboring household's owning six or fewer chickens, turkeys, ducks or pigeons was eliminated.

• Commercial licenses for egg sales will be available for up to 30 birds.

• Composting of chicken manure will be allowed.

The update also sets new standards for the care of animals that end up at the city shelter or in similar private rescue facilities. It specifies that animals can be put down only if they can't be placed in homes and requires that organizations willing to take animals be checked first.

The revisions grew out of more than 50 community meetings with residents, animal rescue groups and animal control workers from other cities.

To read the entire city code of ordinances relating to animals and fowl, visit http://tinyurl.com/hoxvomv.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

Rob Czernik visited with Scarlet Johensson, a 3 year-old Red Star chicken after giving his backyard flock a snack of stale tortillas Monday afternoon. He runs a feed business as well as a consulting service for city folk who want to keep chickens. ] JEFF WHEELER ï jeff.wheeler@startribune.com Reptiles could soon be legal to have as pets in Minneapolis. It's just one of a long list of changes to the city's animal care and control codes coming to the council for a public hearing on Monday. Ro
Minneapolis residents can own six or fewer chickens without needing their neighbors’ approval when the ordinances go into effect Saturday. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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