North Huntingdon aiming to rewrite backyard chicken rules after flap over fowl

North Huntingdon officials plan to create new rules for keeping backyard chickens in an attempt to balance the rights of those who want them against those who cry foul over the fowl.

Township commissioners this week voted to repeal an ordinance that allowed chickens to be kept in residential neighborhoods where minimum lot sizes are 10,000 to 40,000 square feet. In those areas, chickens are permitted as a conditional use but the flock is capped at six chickens and doesn’t allow for roosters. It also sets rules for the construction of the chicken coop and requires it be 20 feet from a property line and 40 feet from a neighboring house.

Township manager Harry Faulk and staff were directed to draft an ordinance for review at the May 9 workshop meeting. The commissioners could make changes to the proposal, Faulk said.

When drafting a new ordinance, the township should set hard criteria for keeping backyard chickens, said Ryan Fonzi, planning director. The current ordinance is too subjective, he said, noting that odor or noise violations are difficult to enforce.

Only two people in the township obtained a permit to raise chickens by going through the conditional permit process, Fonzi said. Three others were denied a permit, including Brad Clark of Crestwood Drive. Clark filed a notice in Westmoreland County Court in February that he was challenging the North Huntingdon commissioners’ 4-3 vote to reject his requestto keep the chickens he has had since October .

The issue once again reared its head when chicken owner, Sarah Helzlsouer of Adams Drive, was cited three times for violating the ordinance. Two of the violations were related to the coop and were easily remedied. A third violation noted chickens were outside of their coop and in the yard.

Heather Kanai, who had sent six emails and letters to the township complaining about Helzlsouer’s chickens, told commissioners that she wants to see the current ordinance maintained. She said she believes there is a place for chickens, but not in every yard.

Neighbors Jennifer Miller and Lynnette Kinter told the commissioners that they are not bothered by any odors from Helzlsouer’s chickens and the noise the birds make isn’t any louder than the barking dogs in the area.

“We don’t see them, we don’t hear them,” Miller said of the chickens.

Helzlsouer said she would abide by the ordinance requirements and was not aware of the complaints.