Starting today, Campbell River residents will be permitted to keep up to six hens on residential lots within city limits. At its Dec. 17 meeting, city council approved amendments to the Zoning Bylaw, Animal Control Bylaw and Ticketing for Bylaw Offences Bylaw to regulate the keeping of hens.
People interested in keeping hens in residential areas must: obtain a licence from the City to keep hens; pay a one-time processing fee of $10; and familiarize themselves with the City’s regulations.
Highlights of regulations for keeping urban hens include:
- Urban hens can be kept as pets or for personal egg consumption, but are not to be used for commercial purposes
- The small scale sale of eggs is acceptable. Selling of meat and manure is prohibited.
- Chicken coops must meet the minimum setback requirements in the City’s Zoning Bylaw and be maintained in good condition.
- Coops and pens must be located at least three metres from dwelling windows or doors.
Highlights of the Animal Control Bylaw include:
- Noise – Roosters are prohibited in residential zones, and hens must be kept inside their coops from sunset to 7 a.m.
- Rodents – Coops and pens must be maintained in good repair and sanitary condition, free from vermin and obnoxious smells and substances. Coops and pens must be constructed to prevent any rodent from harboring underneath or within them or their walls.
- Smell – Manure must be stored in a fully enclosed structure no more than three cubic feet (0.085m3).
For more information, visit www.campbellriver.ca.
