BATH

Bath city councilors on Wednesday unanimously approved an amendment to a land use code that will allow residents to have chickens on property as small as 6,000 square feet.

Currently, raising chickens is prohibited on properties in town that are less than two acres, unless site plan approval is received by the planning board.

“I know that this has been talked about for a long time … to revisit this ordinance,” said Chairwoman Mari Eosco. “There was a lot of call for it right around the recession when people really wanted to do more things around their home to save on costs.”

Under the proposed ordinance, a maximum of six hens will be allowed, but no roosters.

Applicants are also required to seek approval from Code Enforcement Officer Scott David and purchase a $40 license fee. Other regulations regarding enclosures, noise, odor and sanitation will also need to be followed, and licenses may be revoked if residents fail to comply.

“So as long as you have a house lot that size, even though the house may take up most of that lot, you’re able to have chickens on that house lot,” Councilor Terry Nordmann said.

Chicken facilities will also be required to be a minimum of 15 feet from adjacent property lines, and exclusively within rear areas of properties, in addition to other standards and regulations.

Additions and revisions to the ordinance were suggested and approved by the planning board last month.

“The memo from the planning director states that this proposed change is recommended after several years of workshops and discussions, after the urging of potential chicken owners within the dense portions of Bath,” Councilor Bernard Wyman said. “So it’s not just something that we’re pulling up now.”

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