Pet Chickens Permitted in Ellisville

Following a decision by council members late Wednesday, Ellisville is now a four-chicken city.

voted without dissent to allow residences to house up to four pet chickens, though Mayor Matt Pirrello said that number could change.

Residents like Jim Finney, whose family owns three chickens, expressed some concerns about the details of the city's new ordinance, but said following Wednesday's meeting that the council’s decision was an obvious one.

"I don't see why any city wouldn't have this in their code," Finney said after the vote.

Ellisville joins municipalties such as Kirkwood, Ladue, Clayton, and others who have adopted laws permitting pet chickens on non-farm residences, though specific requirements on property size, dimensions for coups and the number of birds allowed varies.

In addition to adding chickens and other domestic birds to the city's code for permitted pets, the Ellisville ordinance also added "traditional pets" such as cats, caged birds such as parrots or parakeets, small caged animals such as hamsters or rabbits, as well as aquarium animals, all of which technically were not allowed in the city prior to the ordinance.

Owners will be required to have the space their chickens are housed in inspected annually by city staff, which will be preceded by a $10 application fee each year.

All detached, single-family homes will qualify for application. The ordinance does not apply to condos, duplexes or multi-family complexes.

The ordinance also explicitly excludes roosters, which follows concerns about noise disturbances.

To view the unofficial city ordinance, view the PDF file above.