A change to Chattanooga law could let residents keep chickens in their backyards.
Chattanooga City Council member Chip Henderson of Lookout Valley recently resurrected a long-dead proposal that would end a near-prohibition on chicken ownership in the city. Henderson presented his ideas for a new law during a council meeting Tuesday.
“I think it’s for many people, it’s a sustainability issue, it’s a self-sufficiency issue,” he said.
If passed, the law would give residents with smaller lots — under 2 acres — permission to keep up to eight female chickens for their own use.
The new law wouldn’t directly affect people with larger lots — made up of at least 5 acres — since the city doesn’t prevent them from raising chickens. And city residents would still be prevented from making a profit off poultry.