Portage residents may now keep chickens in their backyards.
The city council unanimously passed an ordinance Wednesday allowing residents to keep up to five female chickens in backyard coops. Coops must have at least eight square feet of space per chicken, be no more than eight feet high and be at least 10 feet away from the property line, among a number of other restrictions.
Council member Ferdinand Alvarez asked whether Portage had the resources to enforce all of those requirements. "There are roosters currently in the city that we've heard ourselves, and so . . . that's my concern," Alvarez said.
Police Chief Michael Candiano said much of the enforcement would likely depend on any complaints residents may bring forward, but he was confident the city would be able to handle it. Police are also looking at putting together a list of rules that pet stores could hand out to residents when they purchase the chickens.
The new restrictions will only apply to residential properties, not farmland.
