Can chickens come home to roost?
Bottom line City commissioners will take up the topic of whether people should be allowed to keep chickens inside the city limits. Background Earlier this year, leaders with the Lawrence Humane Society expressed concern about the keeping of live fowl in the city limits, primarily because chickens could potentially spread disease. But several residents who keep chickens for egg or meat production urged city commissioners to allow chickens to be kept. City staff members recently researched other cities’ policies. They found the majority of large cities in the state allow chickens to be kept in city limits, but many require the birds to be kept a certain distance away from neighboring properties. For example, Lenexa requires chicken owners to have a lot of at least one acre, while Topeka dictates that chickens can’t be kept within 50 feet of another person’s dwelling. Some cities, such as Wichita, also prohibit roosters due to noise concerns. Other business Recognition • Recognition of 20
