The City of Goodland Commission is requesting feedback on this proposed Ordinance. Comments are welcomed by contacting the City commission or submitting feedback via the contact form on the goodlandks.gov website page. Social media comments may not be read by the Commissioners.

       AN ORDINANCE REGULATING CHICKENS WITHIN CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF GOODLAND, KANSAS.              

        BE IT ORDAINED BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF GOODLAND, KANSAS:

Section 1. Chickens

            The raising of Chickens is limited to single or two-family residences only and the number chickens to 4 per site. No roosters (male adult chickens) may be kept. Sales of eggs is prohibited. Keeping of hens is for personal use and not for running a business. No butchering of chickens within city limits will be allowed. A $25 Permit is required.

Section 2. Housing of Chickens

            Poultry will not be allowed in a residence, porch or attached garage. Chickens must be confined in a house or coop in the backyard of the residence with a minimum 1 square foot per bird. A minimum of 1 square foot of laying box space shall be provided per 3 chickens. Each laying box will contain adequate clean bedding material such as hay or other similar soft material.

Section 3. Poultry Facility Regulations

            The Poultry Facility should be 5 feet from any property line and at least 10 feet from a neighboring residence. An outside, enclosed run may or may not be allowed. The run should be no larger than 8 feet by 8 feet and it should be attached to the coop. The facilities should be built to keep dogs, cats, and wildlife from gaining entry. Owners should store all feed supplies in rodent-proof containers. They should take steps to avoid the buildup of flies and maggots by keeping litter and feed dry and promptly disposing of dead birds or waste eggs.

Section 4. Disposal of waste material

            The owner should dispose of waste materials (feed, manure, and litter) in an environmentally responsible manner. The materials can be composted or bagged and disposed of in the trash. Piling waste materials on the property is not acceptable.

Section 5. Culling and Mortality

            Both the process of weeding out inferior animals known as culling and mortality (death) are common occurrences when raising live animals. Poultry owners will need to deal with unwanted males, old hens, or sick birds properly. Owners should double bag and dispose of dead birds in trash. Offsite incineration is another option, many veterinary offices will incinerate a dead pet for a fee. Burial of the carcass of at a minimum two feet deep, placing large rocks to the top of the burial site, making it difficult for predators to dig up the remains is okay as long as you do not bury a carcass near a well, body of water, creeks, or livestock ponds. The decomposing carcass can contaminate the water.  

Section 6. Permit Purpose

            Prior to the issuance of a permit, an inspection will be made of the applicant’s facility for compliance with this Ordinance and other pertinent laws, and no permit shall be issued for any premises not in compliance with such laws. Each location where chickens are to be raised for personal use shall be inspected by and subject to the standards imposed by the City of Goodland Building Official. The City Clerk of the City of Goodland, Kansas may only issue a permit pursuant to the Ordinance upon proof that the premises have passed the required inspection by the Goodland Building Official?

Section 7. Permit Application

An application fee of $25 every two years with inspections of housing for chickens will apply. Applications for permits to have chickens shall not be accepted before the first business day of January of the year for which the permit is to be issued.

Section 8.  Application Process

The appropriate permit fee, in certified funds, must accompany each application.

            Subject to a determination by the Governing Body of the City of Goodland, Kansas, that said applicant has met all the requirements set forth herein, including a determination as to the appropriateness of the proposed site and the availability of a permit, a permit shall be issued.

Section 9.  Penalty

            The City of Goodland Code Enforcement Officer has the right to revoke any permit in the event that false information was provided on this application. Applicants found to be in violation of any provisions of relevant ordinances shall have their permit revoked, and be given 10 days to remove the chickens from their property. Failure to remove the animals after the revocation of this permit will result in a citation being issued and the offending individual(s) shall be subject to fines still to be determined.

Section 10.  Effective Date

At this time, this ordinance is under review and is not currently adopted.

Comments have been closed as of March 21, 2022. Thank you to everyone that commented.