Backyard chickens could soon be allowed within Owensboro city limits, as officials consider amending a decades-old ordinance that currently bans the birds. The proposal follows rising community interest and reflects a growing trend among similar cities across Kentucky.
At Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, City Manager Nate Pagan presented a framework for potentially revising the ordinance, which currently states: “No person shall keep swine or chickens within the corporate limits of the city.”
Pagan said the topic has come before City leadership at least three times in the past decade and is once again gaining traction.
“I did email probably 15 or so other cities, and I did realize that most of our similar cities actually allow chickens,” Pagan said. “Only one or two of the cities I talked to prohibit them, and one of those is actually in the process of allowing chickens as well.”
Under the draft proposal, residents would be allowed to keep up to five hens — no roosters — strictly for personal use in residential zones. The ordinance would not override homeowners’ association covenants, meaning chickens would still be prohibited in neighborhoods where HOAs ban them.
Other key requirements of the proposal include:
- Coops must be covered, secured, and located at least 50 feet from the nearest neighboring house
- No accumulation of feed or waste
- A nominal-cost permit to ensure location tracking
- Fines for unpermitted chickens
“This is not intended to be a financial generator,” Pagan said. “We would just want to know where the chickens are if there are any issues we have to deal with.”
To gather public input, the city has launched a feedback page at owensboro.org/chickens, where residents can view a summary of the proposal and submit comments.
City officials said they plan to collect public input over the next couple of months before determining how to proceed.
“There’s no first reading or any official action,” Pagan said. “It’s just a starting point. The feedback is appreciated, and we’ll see what the community thinks before taking the next steps.”
