Making a Squawk: a Proposed Backyard Chicken Ordinance for Wenona, Illinois

Backyard chicken ordinances are subject to growing interest in many parts of the country, and they can be a divisive and complicated issue. If citizens are interested in keeping chickens within city limits, however, there are elements that can be included in the ordinance that balance the various desires of community members. To develop a recommendation for a backyard chicken ordinance for the city of Wenona, IL, this report explores the literature related to these ordinances, identifying potential challenges, examining how ordinances are actualized across the country, and exploring recommendations for backyard chicken ordinances as discussed in the literature. It then examines five municipalities of geographic and size relevance to Wenona, examining the text of their ordinances and any reporting or council discussions on them. Interviews were conducted with municipal officials from the five cities to gain perspective into the day-to-day administration of the ordinance and any challenges they may face with their ordinance. Finally, guided by the lessons from the literature and these five cities' experiences, recommendations for components of a backyard chicken ordinance are provided for the city of Wenona.