The Concord zoning code for raising chickens on urban residential lots has been eased in a 21 month pilot program that was passed by the city council last month.
CCOG testified at the hearing and would like to thank all of the city councilors who voted to pass the amendment to the zoning code. We plan on helping to educate the citizens of Concord who are interested in raising a small flock of chickens in their backyard. As soon as we are able to get a copy of the amended ordinace, we will post it on our website. In the meantime, if you are dreaming about raising a flock of chickens in Concord, here are the general guidelines for working within the code…
- Single family residences only.
- The minimum lot size is 7,500 square feet.
- The chicken coop must be at least 30 feet from each lot line.
- You can have no more than 5 chickens.
- No roosters are allowed.
- Chickens cannot be free ranging.
- You cannot sell the eggs or the meat.
- Chicken manure must be disposed of- site or enclosed in a covered container.
We are encouraging everyone who is planning on raising a flock of chickens to read and follow the new code once it is available. Be respectful of your neighbors who might be wary of your new hobby and keep your coop very clean and odor free. We would like to see the pilot program become permanent in 21 months.
We will be posting more resources about building coops and raising chickens after the New Year, so stay tuned!
Concord Monitor Article: Chickens can Flock to the City by Ben Leubsdorf
Look forward to learning more about this great opportunity, was excited to hear the City Council approved this pilot. My first question/concern, what happens after the pilot is up and say it unfortunatly isn’t extended/accepted?
Then having looked into this previously it’s difficult to obtain only 5 chickens. If ordering chicks there is typically a minimum order size of around 2 dozen. Would CCOG provide/organize a purchase order?
We can’t say what will happen after the pilot program is over. We are hoping that everyone does such a good job minding their flocks that there are no issues to discuss and the ordinance will become permanent after the pilot program is over.
CCOG can certainly look into organizing an order of chicks or at the very least, help connect new chicken farmers together so people can share an order of chicks. Stay tuned!