The City of Lathrop showed support for chicken and fowl owners.
At the Jan. 13 meeting, the Lathrop City Council approved an amendment to its “Keeping of Fowl within City Limits” ordinance by removing the lot size requirement.
“This would allow residents with small lots to possess fowl as long as enclosure setbacks and sanitary conditions are maintained,” according to one of the staff recommendations.
That was part of the existing municipal code which “establishes minimum lot size of 1/3 acres (with an exception for peacocks present within city limits prior to Jan. 1, 1990),” which will be omitted, based on the latest vote by Council.
“How this came about is that we been addressing the issue based on (noise, smell, etc.) complaints only,” said City of Lathrop Police Chief Stephen Sealy.
The municipal code – five in all, as related to this matter – does allow for residents to have at least 12 mature animals (cumulative rabbits and fowl), with sets requirements for enclosures to maintain both sanitary and humane conditions.
The enclosures must be at least 50 feet from dwellings and 25 feet from lot lines.
One ordinance requires resident / owner “submit to inspection by Animal Control Officers” while another prohibits fowl at large or in public places.
The staff report provided some pros and cons for the amendment, including – as part of the ‘pros’ – the ability for the city to support residents for whom chickens are part of a cost effective, sustainable source of health foods such as eggs and meat.
The ‘cons’ consisted of neighborhood character and aesthetics along with those areas within the city limits with governing CC&Rs and HOAs that prohibit keeping of fowl regardless of lot size or setback distance.
Most of these ordinances affect those living on the older east side of Lathrop.
“Many of those people have chickens, fowls,” said Council member Steve Dresser.
The reducing of the lot size per the amendment will encourage more people to have or keep their chickens, staff said.
As for the peacocks.
“You mean that screeching peacock? Animal control has been trying catch him for 10 years,” Dresser jokingly said.
