Troy resident seeks permit for four hens on two-acre lot

A two-acre lot in Troy still did not make hens automatic. Jarrod Mayes had to go through the city’s special-use process to ask for four chickens at 417 Troy Avenue, and the request moved forward only after planners checked the property against the ordinance’s limits, including a no-rooster condition and a defined coop setup.

The property sits in the R-1 Single Family Residential zoning district, but Troy’s chicken rules do allow hens on single-family residential lots of at least two acres when the ordinance conditions are met. At the June 11, 2026 public hearing, the City of Troy Planning Commission heard the case under the agenda item “Special Use / Chickens (PCRec 2026-17)” at 6:15 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 116 E. Market Street. The notice described the request as a variance or special-use request to keep four chickens, limited to hens only, with no roosters permitted.

That detail matters because Troy’s code does not treat backyard hens as a blanket right. The ordinance says chickens are intended as pets and or a personal food source, not for commercial egg sales or distribution. It also says a livestock or chicken permit can be revoked if the animals become a nuisance, and the city separately bars any animal that disturbs the peace with loud noises. In other words, the city is not just counting birds, it is looking at how the flock will fit into the neighborhood.

Mayes and the applicants did the things that usually make these requests easier to defend. They laid out a coop plan, showed where the birds would be kept, included a 16-square-foot run, kept the request at four hens, and contacted neighboring property owners. Those facts helped the proposal satisfy the current ordinance’s conditions, and the planning commission recommended approval.

The case landed with the Troy City Council for final action at its June 15 meeting, which is the part keepers should pay attention to. Troy’s general animal code already requires a permit for more than three animals on a premises, and the city council has authority to grant, deny or revoke those permits. That means a flock can clear one hurdle and still need another.

The larger message is plain enough for anyone trying to legalize hens on a residential lot: even on two acres, the answer depends on paperwork, lot size, neighbor notice and whether the proposal is framed as an exception. Troy’s rules show a city that will allow backyard chickens, but only on its terms, and only when the keeper proves the setup will stay small, contained and quiet.