Elkton sets new backyard chicken permit rules, limits hens to six

Elkton chicken owners now need a free permit from City Hall if they keep hens inside the city limits, and the new ordinance caps each property at six hens, bans roosters, and pushes coops to the back of the lot. That is a sharp change from the looser backyard setup many owners were used to, because the city has now written the siting, shelter, and upkeep rules into code.

The ordinance draws a hard line on what counts as a hen. Ducks, geese, quail, pigeons, and turkeys are not included, which matters for households that keep more than one kind of poultry. Hens must live outdoors in a fenced enclosure, with part of the area covered for the henhouse. The enclosure has to sit at the back of the property and stay 10 feet from the rear property line and 10 feet from side property lines.

Getting the permit also means paperwork. Applicants must submit a site drawing showing where the enclosure sits in relation to the property boundaries. The city said it will give current chicken owners a timeline for getting permits, and once that deadline is announced, enforcement can begin. If owners do nothing, fines of $50 per violation may follow. Elkton’s code-enforcement system sends citations to the Code Enforcement Board, rather than routing every case straight to District Court.

The chicken rules fit into a broader cleanup of Elkton’s animal code. On April 20, city council approved the first reading of an ordinance to update Chapter 90, the section of city code dealing with animals in the city limits, including chickens and hogs. March 12 council minutes also showed the city’s animal control officer receiving a 20-year service award, a sign that animal enforcement already runs through city operations.

Elkton, the Todd County seat established in 1820, is now putting a familiar backyard habit under a more formal permit system. Mayor Arthur Green, who began serving on Jan. 1, 2019 and has a background in agricultural education, is presiding over the shift as the city moves from informal keeping to clear rules on flock size, setbacks, and compliance.