Ordinance to change chicken keeping rules in Mason City shelved, public input meeting to be scheduled

MASON CITY — An ordinance that would have updated the rules for the keeping of chickens in Mason City has been shelved for the time being after a number of people have voiced their concerns about the proposal.

The council two weeks ago passed the first reading updating the ordinance, which would have dropped the number of chickens someone could keep on their non-agriculturally zoned property inside the city limits from 25 to six. That’s equal to the number of chickens allowed in similarly-sized communities in Iowa in their ordinances.

A permit for keeping chickens would also be issued for one year, and the permits would not allow the keeping of roosters after January 1st of next year.

A social media post made by the city on Friday afternoon says after the concerns raised over the last two weeks, the ordinance has been removed from agenda for tomorrow night’s meeting to allow for a work session to be scheduled in the near future with those impacted by the proposed changes.

The post says the council desires to have a well-balanced approach to any changes and is looking to incorporate the concerns of the public.

The ordinance will not be advanced in its current form and will be amended following the Council receiving additional input from the public.