Why did the chicken cross the road? To abide by city ordinance?
Tallahassee City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow wants clarity on local law related to residents who have chickens and specifically roosters.
“It was brought to my attention in unincorporated Leon County you can have chickens, but not roosters, but within the city of Tallahassee limits you can have a rooster,” Matlow said at the March commission meeting.
Here’s what city ordinance says: “The keeping of female chickens (hens) for non-commercial purposes so long as they are confined in a securely enclosed yard or pen at all times and are kept no closer than 20 feet to neighboring dwellings. In addition, a single rooster may be kept in conjunction with said hens for the purpose of flock sustainability.”
And county ordinance says: “All single family properties in the county are allowed to have up to 10 hens or ducks,” but “roosters are prohibited unless within a community garden or urban farm.”
In an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat, he said this mismatching of local ordinances “seemed almost backwards” to him. He asked city staff to bring back an agenda item with more information.
What’s next
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee commissioner questions rooster rules
Reporting by Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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