Resident proposes tiered backyard chicken ordinance to end de facto ban in uptown Butte

Savannah Johnston, a homeowner in District 2 and a scientist, presented Communication 2026-236 to the Butte-Silver Bow Council May 6 asking the county to redraft its backyard chicken ordinance to reflect Butte’s smaller lot sizes and historical local food traditions.

Johnston said the current 20,000-square-foot lot requirement "acts as a de facto ban for the heart of our city," where median lot size in uptown is roughly 3,000 square feet. She proposed a two-tier system that would create an "urban tier" permitting up to four hens per lot while preserving existing rights for large-lot owners. "This proposal creates a tier 2 category specifically for urban lots, allowing for up to 4 hens," she said, adding that measures such as 20-foot setbacks and a complaint-driven enforcement system would protect neighbors and limit proactive inspections.

Johnston said she had shared her draft with the chief executive, county attorney and animal services and framed the redraft as a public-health-minded return to local practice rather than a regulatory rollback. Commissioners thanked her for the submission; the proposal was referred to the judiciary committee for further consideration and drafting.

Next steps: judiciary committee review and drafting of ordinance language based on the petitioner’s framework and input from animal services and the county attorney.