Kalispell roosters ban one step closer
Roosters will no longer be allowed in Kalispell after the City Council unanimously approved the first reading of a new ordinance on Monday.
Council also decided to limit hens to 15 per address.
The ordinance also will require the chickens’ owners to clean up after them so that they are not a nuisance.
Complaint-driven infractions will be subject to civil fines of up to $500 per day at the discretion of a judge.
John Whitmore spoke during public comment and asked if the prohibition applied to both “egg-laying” and “fryer” chickens. It does.
Whitmore noted one cannot purchase fewer than 15 chicks online.
He does this because he wants large, white eggs as opposed to small or brown locally grown eggs.
City Attorney Charlie Harball encouraged the council to limit hens to a specific number to make the judge’s job easier when determining infractions.
Harball suggested a limit of six hens based on other Montana cities’ ordinances.
Mayor Tammi Fisher asked if the ordinance would prohibit slaughtering of fryer chickens in one’s backyard. “You don’t have to watch,” Harball replied.
Council member Duane Larson said he has received a wide range of calls in regard to regulating chickens.
These ranged from allowing no chickens in the city to no prohibitions.
Larson opted to take a “middle-ground” approach. He motioned to change the limit on hens from six to 15, which council member Jeff Zauner seconded.
The motion passed unanimously, as did the ordinance itself.
The city currently prohibits fowl at large, which is a misdemeanor.
That would change to a civil infraction under the new ordinance.
The second reading of the ordinance likely will be held on June 2, Harball said. It would go into effect 30 days after that.
The council also approved the second reading of a new “pooper scooper law” that requires pet owners to clean up after their pets.
It will go into effect May 18.
Reporter Caleb Soptelean may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at csoptelean@dailyinterlake.com.