[Ord. No. 705, 5/1/2018]
1. 
The purpose of this Part is to provide for the keeping of chickens by West Homestead Borough residents while ensuring that said practice does not result in a proliferation of nuisances.
2. 
The Borough is authorized to prohibit or regulate the keeping of fowl and other livestock under the corporate powers granted by Title 8 (Boroughs and Incorporated Towns) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, Article XII, Section 1202(10).[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 8 Pa.C.S.A. § 1202(10).
[Ord. No. 705, 5/1/2018]
1. 
For the purposes of this Part, the following shall mean:
CHICK
An immature chicken.
CHICKEN
A member of the subspecies Gallus gallus domesticus, a domesticated fowl.
COOP
A building with four opaque walls and a roof, intended for the shelter and protection of chickens.
HEN
A female chicken.
POULTRY
Domestic fowl, including roosters and guinea hens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons and other poultry and domestic birds used for food purposes; does not include female chickens (hens) or immature chickens (chicks).
ROOSTER
A male member of the species Gallus gallus domesticus.
SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING
Any building that contains only one dwelling unit used or intended to be occupied for living purposes by one family consistent with the Borough of West Homestead Zoning Ordinance.[1]
TRACT OF LAND
A property or a zoned lot that has one single-family dwelling located on that property or zoned lot.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 27, Zoning.
[Ord. No. 705, 5/1/2018]
1. 
Poultry, excepting female chickens (hens) and immature chickens (chicks), are not permitted to be kept and raised within West Homestead Borough.
2. 
Residents of a single-family dwelling are permitted to keep and raise hens and chicks, subject to the following conditions:
A. 
The minimum lot size for the keeping of hens and chicks shall be 2,000 square feet.
B. 
On lots of at least 2,000 square feet but smaller than 20,000 square feet, up to eight hens or chicks may be kept.
C. 
On lots from 20,000 to 40,000 square feet, as many as 12 hens or chicks may be kept.
D. 
On lots larger than 40,000 square feet, one additional hen or chick is permitted for each additional 1,000 square feet.
3. 
Hens and chicks must be provided with a covered, predator-resistant coop that is adequately ventilated, designed to be easily accessed, cleaned, and maintained, and the coop must be at least three square feet in area per hen or chick.
4. 
During daylight hours, hens and chicks must have access to the coop and also have access to an outdoor area that is adequately fenced to protect them from predators, and to prevent them from roaming onto neighboring properties. From dusk to dawn, hens and chicks must be closed in the coop.
5. 
Hens and chicks shall be provided with access to feed and clean water at all times. All chicken feed shall be stored in a secured rodent-proof container and housed within an enclosed structure.
6. 
Any person keeping and raising hens and chicks shall ensure that no odors or vermin are present.
7. 
On any tract of land where hens and chicks are kept and raised, hens and chicks shall be located at least 10 feet from any property lines.
8. 
Hens may be humanely killed by at or at the direction of the owner or keeper thereof in accordance with existing state and federal regulations.
[Ord. No. 705, 5/1/2018]
1. 
Any person who shall be convicted of violating the provisions of this Part shall be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding $1,000 and the costs of prosecution for each and every violation and, in default of payment thereof, to undergo imprisonment not exceeding 30 days. Each day's continuance of a violation of any provision of this Part shall constitute a separate violation.
2. 
In addition to fines and imprisonment, any person who does not maintain a clean and safe environment or whose hens and/or chicks become a nuisance to its neighbors may be subject to hen and/or chick seizure by the Borough.