The City of Cedartown adopted an amendment to the livestock ordinance during their Monday meeting that allows homeowners to have chickens, but with a lot of restrictions to help ensure neighbors aren’t responsible for a backyard fowl.

Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the amendment allowing residents who have an acre or more of land within the city limits to keep chickens in the update to the Livestock Ordinance during their September 14 regular session as one of the few items covered outside of celebrations for outgoing City Manager Bill Fann.

Incoming City Manager Edward Guzman put together the ordinance amendment based on how other cities around the state have handled allowing residents who want to produce their own eggs at home can go about it while also falling in line with guidelines that ensure their neighbors aren’t bothered by the birds.

Cedartown residents will first have to go through the process of getting a Special Land Use Permit seeking permission to have no more than four laying hens at one time in their backyard, and they must have at least an acre of land before they can be approved. Hens must also be kept in a chicken coop or pen, and that must be kept at least 35 feet from a neighboring property line.

Those interested in seeking to have chickens in their backyard must first call the city and meet those requirements before any permission is given, and also fill out paperwork seeking the special land use permit, and will only be required to pay a fee to obtain a building permit to construct the hen house, per Guzman.

The permit for the hen house is included with the Special Land Use Permit application. No roosters will be allowed at all in the loosening of restrictions on chickens within city limits. Only four laying hens will be allowed to be kept by residents at a time.

The Commission began discussing the possibility of updating the Livestock Ordinance as far back as June to allow local residents to have laying hens

One Commissioner decided he was going to vote against it, but said his intentions were more of the nature of no harm, no fowl when it comes to chicken ownership by city residents.

Commissioner Sam Branch explained that he voted against the ordinance amendment not because it was poorly written, but that the nature of his concerns were over how residents would be impacted by neighbors who decided that they would want laying hens in their backyards.

He also said he was worried that “citizens will not read all the details of the ordinance and are now allowed to have as many chickens as they want, and how they can be kept.”

He’s worried that those who want to keep chickens will ignore those details and cause additional problems down the road.

Those interested in more information about chicken ownership within the city limits can call 770-748-3220 to learn how to get an application.