[Adopted 11-7-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-006]
Keeping chickens can play a role in ensuring a source of local food and a sustainable environment, but improper maintenance of chickens in residential neighborhoods can cause nuisances to nearby residential properties and create conditions which are unsanitary and unsafe. It is the intent to permit and regulate the keeping of chickens for the health, safety and welfare of the City of Canandaigua.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
CHICKEN
A domestic hen kept for its eggs.
COOP
A structure that is designed to house hens, which is enclosed on all sides by a roof, doors, and walls, with or without windows. A mobile or portable structure that meets this definition shall be considered a coop.
HEN
A female chicken.
RUN
An outdoor area that is enclosed on all sides, including the top, by fencing that is attached to or surrounding a coop. A run shall have a doorway or hatch that allows hens to access the space.
A. 
No person may breed, raise, harbor, or maintain hens in the City without a permit issued by the Code Enforcement Office.
B. 
The Code Enforcement Office may deny a permit to an applicant that cannot meet the requirements of this chapter. The Code Enforcement Office may also deny a permit to anyone who has been convicted of animal cruelty violations or is delinquent in the payment of any outstanding taxes or fees.
C. 
A permit shall be renewed every three years.
D. 
The fee for the permit shall be set by resolution of City Council.
A. 
Roosters are prohibited within the City.
B. 
Limitations.
(1) 
There shall be no more than one coop and run on a parcel.
(2) 
The maximum number of hens shall be 15 per property.
C. 
Minimum standards for enclosures.
(1) 
Hens shall be contained or kept in a fully enclosed coop and run. Hens may be permitted to exercise in a rear, fenced-in yard with supervision, provided the fence is a minimum of five feet high. Hens must be kept in the coop and run at all times if the coop and run are not located in a fenced yard. No hen shall be permitted to run at large.
(2) 
A coop shall provide a minimum of two square feet per hen.
(3) 
Feed must be stored in an enclosed, rodent-proof container at all times.
(4) 
The coop and run shall be located in the rear of the residential structure. A coop and run shall not be permitted in a side or front yard.
(5) 
A coop shall be designed and built so that it provides ventilation and shade for hens and protection from precipitation, cold weather, predators, wild birds and rodents.
(6) 
Openings in windows and doors are to be covered/secured with wire mesh or screens to deter predators.
(7) 
Access doors are required and are to be placed to provide for ease of cleaning.
(8) 
A run must be attached to, or surround, the coop. A run shall have a minimum of eight square feet per hen.
(9) 
The run must be enclosed on all sides, including the top or roof plane. The sides of the run must be made of wire mesh or screening to discourage predators.
(10) 
A coop and run shall be at least five feet from the property line and at least 20 feet from a neighboring dwelling. This setback can be waived upon submission of written permission from the owner of the neighboring dwelling.
D. 
Sanitation and nuisance prevention.
(1) 
The coop and run shall be kept clean, dry and in sanitary condition at all times. Animal waste, uneaten or discarded food and feathers are to be removed regularly with a minimum frequency of once per week.
(2) 
Animal waste must be collected and disposed of regularly with a minimum frequency of once per week. Notwithstanding the foregoing, animal waste may be composted.
Any coop and/or run existing prior to the effective date of this article that does not comply with § 253-20C shall be provided one year to comply with the rules and regulations set forth in this article. All other requirements of this article shall be met within 60 days of the effective date of this article.
A. 
Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be punishable by a fine not exceeding $250 or imprisonment not exceeding 15 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
B. 
The Code Enforcement Office shall have the discretion to immediately and permanently revoke a permit if any person is found guilty of violating this chapter.
C. 
Revocation of a permit shall signify the coop as a public nuisance, and the coop shall be removed from the property at the owner's expense.