Supporters of backyard chickens have submitted a formal proposal to Lee County to allow chickens in Lehigh Acres, but the county attorney says any zoning change has to apply across the county.
Hopeful hen keepers in Lehigh Acres have proposed a county ordinance to allow them to keep backyard broods, but Lee County’s attorney said Tuesday morning it would have to be adopted countywide.
The Lehigh Acres Community Council this week voted to ask the Board of County Commissioners to consider enacting backyard chicken zoning for Lehigh Acres with restrictions.
But County Attorney Richard Wesch told the five county commissioners Tuesday that changing zoning to allow chickens to be raised on the property must be applied across all sections of the unincorporated county that carry the same zoning designation.
The push to allow chickens in Lehigh began a couple of months ago, when resident Chuck Edwards was told to get rid of chickens he was raising on his property in a rural section of Lehigh. He took his case to the Board of County Commissioners and later to the Lehigh Acres Community Council where residents packed a couple meetings of the generally quiet council to discuss the chicken issue.
The time consumed by process of getting the proposed new rules to formal consideration by the commissioners frustrates Edwards
A subcommittee created by the Lehigh Acres Community Council developed a proposed set of regulations governing the size of the chicken coop and fenced enclosure for the chickens after heated debate Monday night, the community council backed the plan with a 11 to 4 vote
Backyard chickens would be limited to raising hens, and no roosters, at single family homes only that are either owner-occupied or where a tenant has a sworn statement from the property owner granting them permission to raise chickens. Before a chicken permit could be granted, neighbors would have to be notified of the application and the putative owner of the chickens would be required to take an approved class in chicken raising. No breeding or commercial fertilizer production and or killing of chickens would be allowed only raising of eggs. The new permit to raise hens would require a $25 backyard chicken fee.
No more than five hens would be allowed for every 10,000 sq. ft of property, ¼ acre lots. Most lots in the core of Lehigh Acres are less than 10,000 sq. ft.
If someone has chickens they should be required to have a fence around their yard to keep them contained and not destroying other peoples property or attacking their pets or children.