Will Mundelein lift ban on backyard chicken coops? Village board to look at issue
Mundelein's long-standing ban on backyard chicken coops may soon be rescinded.
The village board on Monday will discuss allowing residents to keep hens - but not roosters - at their homes. If trustees support the concept, administrators would formalize proposed rules that have been drafted for the discussion.
A vote on the resulting ordinance could occur as soon as Aug. 14.
Interest in backyard chickens has picked up over the last decade or so. Proponents say hens are a source of healthy eggs, provide environmental education and aren't as noisy as roosters, which aren't needed for egg production. Plus, their eggs are an affordable food option.
Trustee Jenny Ross requested the issue be debated in Mundelein. Some of her friends asked for the ban to be lifted, she said, while others have expressed concerns about the care of home-kept chickens.
Under Mundelein's proposal, chickens would only be allowed on single-family properties that are at least 6,000 square feet in size.
Properties up to 7,999 square feet could have two chickens; properties between 8,000 square feet and 9,999 square feet could have up to four chickens; and properties at least 10,000 square feet could have up to six chickens.
Licenses would be required, and only 20 would be available the first year.
Village Administrator Eric Guenther thinks that will be plenty to meet whatever demand exists.
"Judging by surrounding towns, I will be surprised if we get that many," Guenther said.
Licenses would cost $100, as would annual renewals. They'd expire at the end of each calendar year, regardless of when they were issued.
The proposal would limit chickens to personal use. Selling eggs or meat, breeding or slaughtering chickens and producing fertilizer for sale would be prohibited.
Coops and attached chicken runs would require building permits and would be limited to backyards. They'd have to be built at least 10 feet from property lines.
Mundelein officials last discussed allowing residents to keep chickens in 2012.
Des Plaines, Wheeling, Elgin, Lombard and Wauconda are among the communities allowing people to keep chickens in coops at home.
Monday's board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at village hall, 300 Plaza Circle. It will be livestreamed at mundelein.org.