Gurnee tightens law on farm animals in town

Gurnee has shut the door on the potential for pigs, goats and other farm animals to live in residential neighborhoods.

Village board trustees Monday night voted 6-0 in favor of tightening a section of Gurnee's local ordinances so farm animals can't live on property smaller than 5 acres.

An inquiry about whether chickens and goats can live in a standard Gurnee subdivision is why the trustees were asked to approve a clarification on the farm animal restrictions, Village Administrator James Hayner said.

Farm animals in residential neighborhoods have the potential to create a stink among residents. One of the most high-profile cases involved Lake Forest resident Estelle Walgreen's three pigs in 2006.

Walgreen's situation didn't go unnoticed in Gurnee.

Village Attorney Bryan Winter cited Walgreen when he explained to trustees Monday that Gurnee's amended local law not only will prevent pigs from living on 5 acres or less, but also sheep, horses, chickens, goats, roosters, ducks and other similar domestic animals.

"This (ordinance amendment) really follows the form communities, particularly along the North Shore, have adopted," Winter said.

Winter said Gurnee residents must notify the village if they were living with farm animals on a lot smaller than 5 acres before Monday's village board action. Residents can keep the animals by showing proof of when they were acquired, he said.

From now on, farm animals in Gurnee must be kept in a shelter at least 200 feet from a property lot line. An exception is made for chickens, rabbits or ducks kept as pets and staying in an enclosure or cage.

As for Walgreen and her three pigs, she's expecting to leave her Lake Forest house because of a foreclosure sale that remains set for 9 a.m. Monday. Bidding for the 138-year-old mansion will be in the Lake County sheriff's office in Waukegan, said attorney Samuel Harrod IV, who's handing the sale.

Walgreen became embroiled in a dispute with her neighbors because she kept three pet pigs weighing at least 200 pounds. While the Lake Forest City Council agreed to amend an ordinance allowing Walgreen to keep the pigs until 2011, her neighbors contended farm animals are restricted to a minimum of 10 acres.

She'll need to buy at least 5 acres if she wants to live with the pigs in Gurnee.