No Fowl Play: St. Cloud City Council Balks at Allowing Backyard Chickens

(KNSI) — A St. Cloud City Councilmember’s proposal to allow backyard chickens in residential neighborhoods has laid an egg.

The council voted 3-2 Monday night against reexamining an ordinance that would let residents raise chickens in their yards, leaving the idea cooped up for now. Councilmember Scott Brodeen brought the issue to Monday night’s agenda, saying he wanted a full conversation with the new council. “I’m a small government type of guy, so I wanted to bring it back to have the conversation and find out if, within reason, we could have made it to where, [if] you want to have chickens, you can have chickens, and the city will not be able to tell you no.”

Chickens are currently allowed in agricultural zones within St. Cloud city limits, but not in residential areas.

Brodeen told KNSI News he heard about the issue from voters while campaigning for his council seat. “Other than lower taxes and housing, public safety, that was the outlier that I heard the most.”

Brodeen, along with Councilmember Mike Conway, voted to send the matter to the Planning Commission for further review. However, Councilmembers Dave Masters, Hudda Ibrahim, and Karen Larson voted against reconsidering the issue. Councilmembers Tami Calhoun and Mark Johnson were absent from the meeting. Conway proposed delaying the vote until the full council could be present, but that motion also failed by the same 3-2 vote.

Brodeen said he doesn’t believe the ordinance would lead to widespread chicken ownership in the city and indicated he won’t take another scratch at the issue anytime soon. “I don’t think that we would have had thousands of people doing it. I think it would have been a few because it is work. I think it would have been a small number of people that were passionate and wanted it.”

Councilmember Karen Larson cited multiple reasons for opposing the measure, with health concerns topping her list. “Number one, I think in terms of possible health hazards, we’re in a much worse situation than we were in 2024.” Larson mentioned that the federal government had cut a million dollars from the state, adding to her worries about public health resources and avian flu.

Larson also raised concerns about enforcement, questioning whether the city could ensure compliance with any chicken ordinance that might be passed.

The issue was brought to the Planning Commission in 2014, again in 2023, and was before the council in December 2024, where it was rejected in a 5-1 vote by the council.

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