Oak Ridge North keeps 1-acre backyard poultry lot size minimum
The Oak Ridge North City Council voted to make no changes to the city's backyard fowl and poultry ordinance during its Oct. 26, 2026 meeting, rejecting a citizen petition that sought to reduce the mandatory lot size requirement from 1 acre to 1,500 square feet per hen. About 50 citizens attended the meeting with a petition signed by 536 people urging the change.
- When it happened
- Monday, Oct. 26, 2026
- Where
- Oak Ridge North
- First reported by an outlet
- Oct 28, 2026 at 11:32 am
- Confirmed by
- the original record or a trusted outlet
Taxes & money
| What | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| police vehicle purchase (two Chevrolet Tahoes and one Ford Explorer) including equipment installation | $202,606[1] | city's police budget |
Who's involved
The facts
- Oak Ridge North's current ordinance restricts backyard poultry and fowl to properties larger than 1 acre. [1][1]
- About 50 citizens attended the Oct. 26, 2026 meeting to urge the council to reduce the ordinance's minimum lot size, presenting a 536-signature petition. [1][1]
- Oak Ridge North has a population of 3,057 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. [1][1]
- Katy and Montgomery have similar lot size restrictions, while Shenandoah and Houston do not. [1][1]
- The City Council did not adopt a Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation during a May 2022 meeting that would have reduced mandatory lot size to 1,500 square feet per hen. [1][1]
- The city approved the purchase of three new police vehicles—two Chevrolet Tahoes and a Ford Explorer—with a total cost of $202,606 including equipment installation, keeping Oak Ridge North's vehicle count at one patrol car for every officer. [1][1]
- Oak Ridge North City Council will hold its next meeting on Nov. 24, 2026. [1][1]
Who said what
- Blaire Schuetz-Coakley, petition organizer After her family rehomed their birds, two of them, Nemo and Mabel, were killed by a fox, and she urged the council to "update the outdated ordinance so that other backyard bird owners can keep their suburban flocks safe."[1]
- Mayor Paul Bond "Everybody else is trying to figure out ways to outdo the state, and the county right now is going to the state. They want more authority. To be honest, if you want chickens and cows and all that, go out in the county somewhere."[1]
Sources
- News Oak Ridge North City Council makes no change to backyard bird ordinance Community Impact · Oct 28, 2026
Written by AI from the sources above, under fixed rules: every fact is cited, claims are kept apart from facts, and dollar figures appear only when a source states them. Mistakes get corrected in public.