Much Ado About Clucking: St. Cloud Planning Commission Unanimously Decides to Take Public Comment on Backyard Chicken Ordinance

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud Planning Commission is getting ready to hear from the public about keeping backyard chickens in residential districts.

Tuesday night, the commission debated the issue and decided unanimously they needed to hear from residents. Commissioner Clare Richards made the motion and spoke to KNSI News after the meeting. “It’s been a while since we’ve last considered this, and I think the world has changed, especially post pandemic. There has been an increase in interest in homesteading. People want to provide for themselves [and] for their families. I think backyard chickens are one way to do that.” The last time the public could chime in was in 2014.

As the law stands now, poultry is only allowed on agricultural land. The practice is allowed on 477 plats in the city, but none of them are in the core neighborhoods.

St. Cloud Community Development Director Matt Glaesman explained to KNSI News the next step is for staff to “take back the ordinances from other communities. Take back some of the comment we heard from the members tonight, and draft an ordinance that would come back for a public hearing at the next month’s meeting. So, [an] opportunity for folks to see what the language might be and to comment on it.”

The commissioners want an ordinance that addresses animal waste, the number of chickens allowed, lot size, and setbacks from other houses and buildings. The City of Eagan’s ordinance surrounding backyard chickens is considered a successful model for the rules.

If the planning commission crafts and approves an ordinance, it would go before the city council for the final say. The public hearing will take place at October’s planning commission meeting.

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