Paxton debates backyard chicken rules as draft draws pushback
Paxton aldermen are weighing whether hen permits, setbacks and a six- to eight-bird cap will make backyard chickens workable. The draft is drawing pushback as too cumbersome.
On June 2, aldermen spent about an hour and a half reviewing an initial draft that would set up a pilot chicken-keeping program with permits, inspections, setback rules and a six- to eight-hen limit.
That drafting session followed a narrow March 17, 2026 advisory referendum that passed 335-325. Paxton’s older code required chickens to be kept 150 feet from any home, church, school building or public way, a standard that made the hobby impractical on most residential lots. The council had already authorized the nonbinding ballot language on June 10, 2025 after Attorney Tony Schuering determined the question had to be submitted 68 days before the March 2026 primary.
Ward 2 Alderman Joe Reinhart said he personally opposed backyard chickens but believed the city should follow through on the voters’ decision. Ward 3 Alderman Matt Greenburg said homeowners should have the ability to keep chickens as long as neighbors are not negatively affected. Ward 4 Alderman Mike Wilson said the ordinance needed “clear, reasonable guidelines” and a practical enforcement mechanism, flagging noise, cleanliness and proximity to neighboring homes.
Besides the pilot program and permit process, the draft includes inspections, a noncompliance plan, coop and run standards, cleanliness rules and rooster restrictions. The language draws from other municipalities’ urban-chicken ordinances. Schuering needed more time to compose a complete proposed draft ordinance, and a follow-up committee meeting was set for July 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Illinois has no single statewide backyard-chicken law, so cities set their own terms. Nearby models rely on permit systems, hen limits, rooster bans, rear-yard placement and setbacks. Lombard allows hens in rear yards of single-family homes by permit, Bensenville caps flocks at four hens with 10-foot setbacks, Alton requires inspection and an annual permit by June 1, and Elgin adds a permit fee and electrical inspection if a coop uses power.
A 2026 state bill, HB4764, would protect the right to keep backyard chickens while still leaving municipalities room to regulate setbacks, sanitation, enclosure standards, nuisance control, predator-proofing and hen limits.
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