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By rdnewsNOW Staff

first reading

Red Deer considers removing license cap for urban chickens

Apr 3, 2024 | 2:19 PM

Red Deer’s Chicken Bylaw may be hatching some new rules.

City council approved first reading to proposed bylaw amendments at their meeting on Monday.

They include:

• removal of the cap on the total number of licenses in the city, which currently sits at 102, based on the population of one per 1,000, and has a waitlist of 140;
• increased fee for Chicken Licences from $27 to $36.15 per licence, to align with the fees for an altered dog; and
• addition of a schedule for fines and penalties to ensure proper tools are in place to address nuisance concerns if needed. However, the City says there have been few complaints regarding urban chickens.

The City says one licence is permitted per household and the limit of four hens per licence will remain in place.

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Of the municipalities that allow chickens, Red Deer is the only one with a cap on the number of licences available.

The Chicken Bylaw was adopted on July 7, 2014, with the initial number of licenses that could be issued set at 65, and a cap to limit the number of licences issued to one per 1,500 persons.

In April 2023, city council was looking into the creation of a holistic Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw to address dogs, cats, chickens and other types of animals.

READ: Less cats and more chickens: Red Deer discusses potential pet bylaw

However, administration confirmed the implementation of the bylaw is paused until the City’s next budget approval process due to its financial implications.

In the absence of a Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw, the City believes the immediate changes to the Chicken Bylaw will address public feedback and stakeholder consultation while offering community benefit with low operational impact.

Second and third readings for the proposed amendments are scheduled for the next city council meeting on April 15.

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