Westminster considers rule change to allow more backyard chickens
Westminster may raise backyard flock limits from 6 hens on most lots to as many as 30 on 1-acre-plus parcels, while permits and coop rules stay in place.
Westminster is weighing a rule change that would let some homeowners keep more backyard chickens based on lot size, a shift that would matter most for residents whose properties are too small for the current 12-bird ceiling on 2-acre lots. Under the proposed scale, the question for would-be chicken keepers is simple: does your yard qualify for more hens, and can you still meet the city’s permit and care rules?
Right now, Westminster already treats backyard hens as a permitted residential use, not a novelty. The city requires an approved backyard livestock permit for chickens, bees and potbellied pigs, and the fee is $25 per permit. The permit form cites Westminster Municipal Code sections 6-7-12(F)(2), 6-7-19 and 6-7-20. Its current chicken table allows 6 birds on lots of 2 acres or less and 12 chickens on lots of 2 acres or more.
The proposed change would rewrite that structure by scaling the allowance to lot size, starting at 6 chickens per quarter-acre and climbing to a maximum of 30 chickens on lots of 1 acre or more. That would not change much for the smallest residential lots, but it would create room for larger flocks on properties that now top out at 6 birds unless they reach the 2-acre threshold. For owners of bigger suburban parcels, that is the difference between a token flock and a serious egg-producing setup.
The city’s existing backyard livestock guide shows Westminster is not simply counting birds and walking away. Coops and hives must be predator proof, fresh water must be available to bees and chickens at all times, and animals must be kept so they do not become a nuisance to neighbors, including by quieting audible noises. The guide also says an Animal Management officer, or a designee, can enter the yard during reasonable hours to inspect and confirm compliance. Those conditions would still shape whether a flock is practical, even if the bird cap rises.
Westminster approved backyard chickens and bees in 2015, which makes the current debate less about whether hens belong in city neighborhoods and more about how many can fit there under rules residents can actually use. For anyone with the lot size, budget and patience to keep a compliant flock, the decision now turns on whether Westminster wants to open the door wider than the six-hen standard that has defined the city’s backyard chicken rules for years.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
