Whether they want to crow with enthusiasm or cluck their tongues, area residents have just a couple more days to weigh in on the prospect of permitting “backyard chickens” in the city of Burlington.
Since the beginning of June, city officials have been soliciting feedback about this surprisingly divisive issue through a survey that’s available through Burlington’s website.
This survey, which remains open until Friday, is intended to gather local opinions about the potential legalization of hens within Burlington’s municipal limits.
Residents had previously flocked to dispute this issue when it came before Burlington’s city council in the spring of 2021. The proposal up for consideration back then would’ve allowed people in some residential zones to set up coops for up to four hens at a time. The council went on to reject this idea by a margin of 3-to-2 due, in part, to enforcement-related concerns.
Since then, the council has heard periodic entreaties to reconsider its decision to prohibit backyard chickens. This push has been heightened by pro-chicken policies in other communities, like Mebane, which legalized backyard flocks in 2022. The resurrection of this issue in Burlington received a boost during last year’s general election, which left the council with an apparent majority in favor of revisiting the city’s ban.
The city’s online survey has been the first step in the revival of Burlington’s policy-level discussion about backyard chickens. This invitation for feedback has received an overwhelming response, according to Morgan Lasater, the city’s community engagement director.
“When I checked it last week, I think it was at 1,300 and something [responses],” Laster recalled in an interview Monday. “I think we’re working toward an August work session presentation of the survey results, and then we’ll be getting together some policy recommendations.”
The survey can currently be found at burlingtonnc.gov/2953/Backyard-Chickens/chickens. Print copies are also available in both English and Spanish at Burlington’s city hall.
