As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
LICENSE
The license issued by the Borough Clerk pursuant to this Article
VI.
LICENSED HOUSEHOLD
Any person that has duly registered and received a license
from the Borough Clerk's office for any permissible purpose hereunder.
PERMITTED PURPOSE
Any of the following purposes: owning, leasing, storing,
keeping, stabling, quartering, raising, and/or exercising of a chicken
hen.
Subject to the rules and regulations specified in this Article
VI, the ownership of chicken hens for any permitted purpose is hereby authorized in the Borough.
A licensed household shall, at all times, comply with the following
requirements for the keeping and housing of chicken hens:
A. The coop and run shall be at least five feet from the habitable portion
of any neighboring dwelling. A minimum five-foot side and rear yard
setback shall be maintained as a buffer with maintained lawn or landscape
vegetation. Runoff waste to adjacent properties shall not be permitted.
Garages, attached or otherwise, and accessory buildings shall not
be considered a residential dwelling for purposes of calculating the
required distance.
B. Except with respect to corner lots, a coop shall be located in the licensed household's rear yard. A licensed household residing in a corner lot shall be permitted to locate a chicken coop in any location that otherwise satisfies §
5-65A.
C. The coop shall be the appropriate size for the number of chickens
and shall consist of a minimum of three square feet per chicken.
D. The coop shall be dry and well ventilated with windows to admit sunlight
and shall not be heated.
E. The housing of chickens must be the primary purpose of the coop.
F. The coop must be kept clean and the utilization of a tarp as a portion
of the roof structure is not permitted.
G. The coop and enclosed run must be made predator-proof and must be
surrounded by a six-foot-high fence.
H. Clean water must be provided, and food must be kept in a tightly
sealed rodent- and predator-proof container.
I. The yard in the area where the coop is located shall be clean, free
from odors, and dust abatement techniques must be utilized.
J. The coop must meet all of the size limitations of an accessory building
as may be otherwise provided for in the Code.
Borough residents directly affected by any issue arising from Article
VI may submit a complaint to the Chicken Advisory Committee. When a complaint is received by the Chicken Advisory Committee, it will be investigated by at least two members of the Chicken Advisory Committee. If the Chicken Advisory Committee finds a violation of Article
VI, a notice of violation will be issued by the Borough Code Enforcement Officer. If, after 30 days, the violation has not been remedied, the Borough Code Enforcement Officer shall be notified, so that enforcement proceedings may be implemented. The Chicken Advisory Committee will assist anyone desiring to no longer keep backyard chicken hens to relocate their chickens.
If an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Article
VI shall be construed as if to prohibit any purpose not expressly granted herein, as determined by the Borough Clerk. Words used in this Article
VI in the singular, where the context so permits, shall be deemed to include the plural and vice versa.