Board hears heated public comment as county introduces draft ordinance regulating roosters and crowing fowl

County planning and animal-care staff on June 9 introduced a draft ordinance to regulate the keeping of crowing fowl, citing a sharp rise in complaints and public-health concerns.

Staff said 311 recorded roughly 800 unique crowing-fowl complaints in an 18-month window, mostly noise and treatment concerns. The draft code moves animal-care standards into the zoning code, sets maximum rooster counts by lot size, requires humane confinement and bans tethering that prevents normal movement. A no-cost registration process administered by the commissionerof-animal-care would allow hobbyists or specialty breeders to exceed standard limits when justified.

Animal Care Director described complaint-driven enforcement: county staff will not conduct routine inspections but will investigate complaints, issue written notices and allow 30 days for compliance or application for registration. Planning staff documented a multi-month outreach effort — community workshops, Planning Commission review and targeted sessions with the Mung community and breeders — and said the ordinance was revised after that feedback. The Planning Commission recommended approval with some adjustments and asked staff to refine the registration process.

Many residents told the board they have endured chronic noise, odors, and alleged inhumane tethering for years and sought enforcement to restore quiet and safety in adjacent neighborhoods. Nancy Dewey and Bob Schmidt described waking at 3 a.m., escaping windows closed due to odor and having property values affected. Agricultural and poultry stakeholders, including a former county ag commissioner, urged balanced limits and noted biosecurity considerations, including risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza in commercial flocks.

Supervisors thanked staff for extensive outreach and asked for continued engagement with culturally specific practices. Staff said the ordinance was introduced and will be returned for adoption on June 16 after final edits and added language for the registration form and multi-lingual outreach.

What happens next: the board introduced the ordinance and continued it to June 16 for adoption; staff will finalize registration translations, clarify coop sizing table language and provide additional outreach artifacts for impacted cultural communities.