Decision on a backyard chicken ordinance for Plano delayed until next year

PLANO, TX – A decision on whether owning backyard chickens will be allowed in Plano has been delayed until next budget season, June 2021.

The push to delay any further action on an ordinance for hens in yards under 1.95 acres stems from a staff funding request to hire an additional animal services officer and allow commercial coops if backyard chickens were given the green light.

Staff are already strained in the animal services department, director Jamey Cantrell said during a Sept. 28 council meeting, and chicken captures take much more work than typical domesticated animals. This is due to their ability to fly and unresponsiveness to human calls, he said.

Collin County has also said that it cannot help with the capture or keeping of chickens from Plano residents, placing any at-large animals in the city’s hands, according to Cantrell.

Other options that surfaced during a June council discussion, such as using the specific permit process or getting neighbor approval to decide who can house hens on smaller properties, were not recommended by city staff.