Chicken ordinance for Lee County to go before Planning Commission on April 1

DIXON – An ordinance that would allow up to six chickens to be kept in unincorporated single-family residential areas of Lee County is going before the Planning Commission on April 1.

The ordinance would not apply to agricultural districts or residents within the boundaries of the municipalities that have their own zoning laws, Lee County Zoning Administrator Alice Henkel said during the March 21 Lee County Board meeting.

“This strictly applies to properties that are zoned R-2 single-family residential in the unincorporated areas of Lee County,” she said. “If you’re in the city of Dixon, Amboy, Franklin Grove, Ashton – they have their own zoning. This will not impact them.”

The proposed ordinance – which counts as a text amendment – will allow for an accessory use in the R-2 district, Henkel said. Because it would be an accessory use, petitioners would have to live primarily on the land in question, she said.

“If there is a vacant R-2 lot out in the country, somebody would not be able to just place their chickens on there for the purpose of raising,” Henkel said.

Provisions of the proposed ordinance include having no more than six chickens at any time; having no roosters; having and maintaining adequate fencing and/or an enclosure large enough to keep the chickens on the property at all times; maintaining the property “so as to retain residential characteristics;” no slaughtering or processing of chickens on the property; no selling of chickens or chicken byproducts, such as meat or eggs; and, if there are no chickens on the property for at least 90 consecutive days, removing the enclosure and/or fencing.

If the provisions are violated, the proposed penalties are that the property owner or occupant might be required to remove the chickens from the property, and that a fine of up to $500 for violations might be levied for every day a violation occurs.

Additionally, Henkel can choose to refer any violations to the Lee County State’s Attorney’s Office for prosecution as a misdemeanor, with a sentence of up to six months, fines or both.

A public hearing on the ordinance will be held by the Lee County Planning Commission at 6:30 p.m. April 1. Members of the public attending in person or via Zoom will be allowed to provide evidence and comment on the proposed text amendment.

Planning Commission members will vote on a recommendation to send to the Lee County Board, which in turn will vote based on the recommendation as well as evidence and testimony presented at the public hearing.

The Planning Commission meets in the third-floor boardroom of the Old Lee County Courthouse, located at 112 E. Second St., Dixon. Interested parties also can attend the meeting

For a more in-depth explanation on how zoning and the zoning ordinance process works, see Shaw Media’s article on the Lee County zoning process.