City chickens and backyard bees are going to have to wait a little longer before they get a final nod from the Westbrook City Council on where they can call home.

On Monday Councilor Suzanne Joyce moved to hold off on a vote to approve a zoning ordinance designed to allow hobby farming in residential areas, citing legal questions Councilor Drew Gattine had posed at the previous meeting regarding the state’s right to farm law. The city’s attorney, William Dale, sent the answers to Gattine’s questions to the administration, but both Dale and Gattine were away for this week’s meeting.

The new ordinance is designed to allow the keeping of chickens and bees, amongst other farm-type animals, in residential areas provided the homeowner meets certain lot size requirements, standards of practice and goes to the planning board for a special exception permit.

The move to allow the city-dwelling animals comes after complaints were sent to the code enforcement department that one Westbrook resident was keeping chickens in his back yard, and another was keeping bees.

At Westbrook’s June 25 council meeting there was no opposition to the keeping of hobby farms in residential areas.

The council will vote on the new ordinance at a second reading of the new ordinance. The next regular council meeting will be held Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. in room 114 of Westbrook High School.