Trustees split on reducing acreage for backyard chickens; planning director to revisit proposal

Hartland Township trustees discussed proposed revisions to Zoning Amendment 26‑002 on June 2 that would change the minimum lot size required to keep backyard chickens from 2.5 acres to 0.62 acres (30,000 square feet).

Manager Mike Luce and Planning Director Troy Langer summarized Planning Commission recommendations and displayed maps comparing properties at various acreage thresholds. The proposed ordinance would also ban roosters, set setback requirements for coops and currently contains no architectural standards for coops. Board members raised concerns about disease control, nuisance complaints, homeowner association bylaws potentially superseding the ordinance in subdivisions, and the township's capacity for code enforcement.

Director Langer said the Planning Commission recommended the reduced acreage to allow more residents to keep chickens. Several trustees expressed reservations about enforcement and potential conflicts with HOAs; the board was divided on the change. Langer said he would take the board's concerns back to the Planning Commission for further consideration and Supervisor Fountain recommended a future work session dedicated to code enforcement issues.

No formal vote on the ordinance change was recorded at this meeting; the matter remains under review by the Planning Commission.