Backyard Chickens By-Law Pilot Program
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent currently permits hens and roosters on properties zoned agricultural.
At the May 27, 2024 Council meeting, Council requested that administration draft a by-law for a pilot program to permit the keeping of hens on rural residential and village residential properties.
Administration has now prepared a draft Backyard Chickens By-law. Prior to Council’s consideration, residents are invited to provide input into the draft By-law.
Below is a breakdown of the number of parcels that are in each Ward that would be permitted to keep hens with a permit:
Ward | Rural Residential | Village Residential | TOTAL |
1 - West Kent | 77 | 124 | 201 |
2 - South Kent | 520 | 1,248 | 1,768 |
3 - East Kent | 309 | 386 | 695 |
4 - North Kent | 486 | 261 | 747 |
5 - Wallaceburg | - | - | - |
6 - Chatham | - | - | - |
TOTAL | 1,392 | 2,019 | 3,411 |
Examples of communities in Chatham-Kent that have properties within rural residential or village residential zoned areas are:
Ward 1 - West Kent:
Coatsworth, Glenwood, Jeannette's Creek, Port Alma, Stevenson
Ward 2 - South Kent:
Blenheim Junction, Cedar Springs, Dealtown, Erieau, Fletcher, Guilds, Kent Centre, Lynnwood Subdivision, Mull, North Buxton, Northwood, Porkies Corners, Prairie Siding, Raglan, Shrewsbury, South Buxton, Vosburg
Ward 3 - East Kent:
Bothwell Station, Croton, Dawn Mills, Duart, Highgate, Kent Bridge, McKays Corners, Morpeth, Muirkirk, North Thamesville, Palmyra, Troy, Wabash
Ward 4 - North Kent:
Bradley, Dover Centre, Eberts, Electric, Grande Pointe, Louisville, Tupperville, Whitebread
Please review the following (available to the right) before completing the survey:
- Draft Backyard Chickens By-law
- Zoning Map Viewer - this is used to check the zoning of a property
- Draft Backyard Chickens By-law Set Fines
- Draft Hen Permit Fees
- FAQ's
In addition, we will be hosting a public meeting on Thursday, September 19th, 2024, at 6:00 pm at the Ken Houston Memorial Agricultural Centre meeting room located at 1212 North St, Dresden. All are welcome.
Once public comments from this survey and the public meeting have been received, a summary of the feedback and the proposed by-law will be forwarded to Council for consideration in the fall of 2024.
This page will be available until September 19, 2024 at midnight.
