Montgomery Township residents interested in raising and keeping backyard chickens have been given the green light.
In 2020, township residents asked if the Board of Supervisors could consider permitting backyard chickens. A Facebook group called
Montgomery Township PA Backyard Chickens represent some groups who have been pushing for the allowance of backyard chickens in the township.
Prior to Monday’s meeting, backyard chickens were not permitted in the township. Now, residents are allowed to keep chickens under guidelines that will be posted on their website on a later date.
"Backyard Chickens are fun and therapeutic to care for. They teach our kids where food comes from. But most importantly, they are pets and are already harmonious with Residential living. Families simply want to have the choice to eat eggs from chickens raised in an ethical way,” they said
in a post on Jan. 3. "When properly cared for, a micro-flock does not cause a community disturbance, and most neighbors don't even know the chickens are there. Most families won't take the risk of getting "secret chickens" because code citations are costly and can be personally damaging. Families just want to be able to keep their pets legally without fear of citation or retaliation.”
Township staff was later directed to see if neighboring communities were allowing it and to develop a recommendation as to the number of chickens to be permitted and the size of the lots. The topic of backyard chickens continued to be a point of discussion in several public meetings.
When the majority of the Board agreed on the size of the lots, staff and the Solicitor’s office drafted an ordinance which was sent to the Planning Commission and the County Planning Commission for review.
During Monday night’s meeting, the Montgomery Township Board unanimously voted to approve backyard chickens on residential properties. The raising and keeping of backyard chickens were not permitted on residential properties in the Township prior to Monday night’s meeting.
Guidelines for raising and keeping backyard chickens will be posted on the Township website on a later date. In the meantime, interested residents can contact the Township’s Zoning Department and request them.
Backyard chickens have been a hot topic in several area municipalities over the years. Famously, Lansdale declined to change its zoning code to allow residents to raise poultry despite a petition movement in 2018; more rural areas such as Lower Salford, meanwhile, have lowered their requirements for property square footage to keep chickens.
