The Village of Mahomet board of trustees passed a Zoning Ordinance text amendment related to the addition of a residential accessory use which would allow the raising of chickens (hens only) for personal use on single-family and two-family zoned properties on Sept. 22.
While the Village has passed the ordinance, many homeowners associations within various subdivisions in Mahomet Village limits have covenants that prevent the ownership of poultry on properties.
“Anyone living in a subdivision that restricts the raising of poultry would have to work with other property owners within the subdivision, their homeowner / property owner’s association and the Village to amend those restrictive covenants prior to being able to establish chickens as an accessory use. Most subdivision covenant amendments require approval by the Board of Trustees before they can be changed,” the Village board packet reads.
The board packet suggested a $50 one-time fee with the associated building permits for chicken coops and a $50 one-time fee for the license. A coup owner in good standing would not have to pay the license fee again.
Board member Don Lynn asked for clarification on why the Village would charge the fee for the small, portable coups.
“If it’s a permanent one, that’s one thing,” Lynn said. “But not for something that’s portable.”
Planner Abby Heckman said that the Village currently charges building permit fees for portable barns that are not attached to the ground. She also said that the Village will accrue costs as Village staff goes out to inspect the location of the coup on each property.
Each coup has to have 5 feet of floor area per hen and the run must have 10 square feet of floor area per hen.
Lynn said that he understands the building permit fee associated with the costs of having hens on a property, but he needed clarification on the license fee.
“For me, it comes back to the compliance issue,” Mayor Sean Widener said.
The Village expects that there will be complaints about the chickens, and having the license fee will be a reason to not violate the terms of ownership.
“So once someone gets a building permit, and if it’s positioned in the right place, then we’re not going to be able to make them remove it necessarily,” Heckman said. “So the license itself is something that we can pull if they are not in compliance with the rules. That’s an immediate thing that we can do. Whereas the building itself, if it’s permitted and put in the right location, that’s something separate.”
With annexation, several property owners had chicken prior to being incorporated into the Village.
Heckman said an FAQ about owning chickens will be available on the Village website soon.
