Vince Hoehn of CENTURY 21 Pierce Realty LLC, Manitowish Waters, WI

"Council Compromise Allows Apartment Dwellers to Own Chickens"
Madison Capital Times (WI) (09/23/08) Czubkowski, Kristin

In Wisconsin, the Madison City Council passed an ordinance on Sept. 23 allowing apartment residents to own chickens, but not before creating a compromise limiting the building size to four units and the number of chickens on a single lot to four instead of the ordinance's original eight. Alderman Michael Schumacher comments, "I think this is a great compromise between those who believe in local food and want to have the fresh eggs and possibly even have the animal for food if they take it to an appropriate place for being slaughtered, and at the same time, it protects those people who feel we're turning Madison into farmland." The new ordinance would now require all potential owners to notify any neighbors within 200 feet about keeping chickens as well as get apartment owner approval. If more than 50 percent of the person's neighbors filed a complaint within two weeks to the city, the person would not be permitted to keep the poultry. Several Madison council members expressed concerns about the health risks of chickens, while others questioned the city's ability to enforce the regulations on owning such birds. Ultimately, though, a majority of council members decided the risks of chickens were negligible.