Urban Chicken Ordinance Very Nearly Approved by Iowa City Council, One Pair of Votes Left to Go

So close.

Prospective urban chicken owners in Iowa City will most likely be able to rejoice soon, they'll just have to wait a couple of weeks.

The Iowa City City Council voted 5-2, Payne and Dickens voting no, failing to collapse the permit process to approve the ownership of chickens within its city limits. This is important because it causes a hold up for procedural reasons: with the permit process requiring three votes without the collapse, and the collapse requiring six votes to pass, and the permit process needing to be passed before the ordinance change, the final vote to change the ordinance will have to wait until the next council meeting on Dec. 18.

Dickens and Payne also voted against the change to zoning that would allow the chicken coops on residential areas, but this passed with a majority vote. 

The issuance of a three-year chicken ownership permit, which if it passes on Dec. 18 will cost $100 according to the ordinance, will require the notification and permission of neighbors to the would be chicken owner.

During the work session, council member Jim Throgmorton said he would move to amend this part of the ordinance to have a sunset period of two years that could potentially expire if there was not a large number of complaints about chickens by neighbors. However, he was unable to do so during this meeting also due the process.

Council member Rick Dobyns said he supported the measure due to the amount of people he spoke with while campaigning for signatures while running for City Council. He said the type of people interested in owning chickens are creative people who should be encouraged to be a part of the Iowa City community.

"I was taken by the amount of people who freely and actively informed me amount the issue as I walked through the neighborhood," Dobyns said. "For me it's amount the poultry, it's about the people."

The city ordinance also currently includes regulations regarding the cleaning of the chicken coop and collection of eggs. The issuance of urban chicken permits would be managed by the Iowa City animal division of city government, headed by Misha Goodman the director of the Iowa City Animal Shelter. Owners of chickens will be expected to have the knowledge required for their care.

The near passage of the vote was preceded by years of lobbying on the issue of urban chicken ownership by local advocates who favor the urban chickens for such uses as bug control, sustainable agriculture through their ability to produce eggs and fertilizer, as well as their value as pets.