Backyard chickens won’t be allowed in Lakeside Park anytime soon.
At a meeting on Monday, the Lakeside Park City Council voted 4-1 against an ordinance that would’ve allowed chickens within city limits. The ordinance that failed would’ve legalized chickens on home properties if there was adequate housing for the birds at least 25 feet away from the adjoining residence. In addition, roosters would be banned.
Lakeside Park is a bedroom community of approximately 2,800 residents located around 15 minutes south of Cincinnati. Backyard chickens are legal within several Kenton County cities, including Fort Mitchell, Erlanger, Independence and Elsmere.
Councilmember Cassi Schabell, who originally proposed the ordinance, was the only yes vote. Councilmembers Brian Waite, Dennis Landwehr, Tom Bernheimer, and Mary Ann Thaman – who voted no – each said they did their due diligence before arriving at their conclusion.
Councilmember Dave Wolfer, who couldn’t vote because he was absent from the meeting, sent an email to the mayor expressing his opposition to the ordinance. Mayor Paul Markgraf read the email during the meeting.
The vote followed a lengthy public comment period where residents with opposing viewpoints shared their thoughts about the ordinance in front of a packed city hall audience.
Several residents said they were concerned about noise, the potential attraction of predators and the potential for disease, among other factors.
Resident Mike Buckingham, the first person to speak during the public comment section, questioned how the chickens and their housing would be regulated within the city.
“If allowed, how will the chickens be regulated, and will they require permits?” he asked. “Who’s going to make sure the coup and fence are the proper size? Who’s going to make sure it’s properly located? Who’s going to make sure it’s kept clean?”
Resident Caroline Colvin said she felt like backyard chickens were a risk to children, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals due to their potential to carry diseases such as avian flu and salmonella.
“I moved to Lakeside Park because this is just a lovely, lovely community,” Colvin said. “You guys are doing a great job. If I had known the chicken coops were in the back of yards, I probably wouldn’t have moved here.”
On the other hand, supporters of the ordinance cited homeowners’ rights and the sustainability of backyard chickens as reasons why it should be passed. Lisa and Keith Hill expressed support for their neighbor’s ability to responsibly raise chickens.
“I’m not going to use this time to list a myriad of obvious reasons why our citizens should be allowed to responsibly raise chickens, just as they responsibly tend their gardens, scape their landscapes, raise and care for the dogs and cats, not to mention the host of other freedoms and privileges we responsibly exercise,” Keith Hill said.
Schabell introduced the legislation during a city meeting on Feb. 10. However, similar versions of the ordinance were introduced earlier in the year, dating back to January.
The issue stemmed from a May 2024 citation Lakeside Park resident Jim Wilson received from Planning & Development Services of Kenton County for owning chickens. The Wilson family purchased chickens for their daughter, who has autism. The chickens effectively functioned as emotional support animals for their daughter.
Lakeside Park ordinance 50.009, which passed in 2015, prohibits the “keeping of cattle, horses, chickens and other barn-type animals” in any non-agricultural zoned area within the city. LINK nky previously reported that the Wilsons believed chickens were legal within Lakeside Park prior to receiving the citation.
The Wilsons went before the Kenton County Code Enforcement Board on March 10 to plead their case, citing academic literature and personal anecdotes on the efficacy of chickens as emotional support animals.
After the code enforcement board meeting, the chicken ordinance was discussed further at a March 10 city council meeting. Opinions ranged from support to skepticism to outright opposition. Ultimately, the council conducted a first reading of the ordinance.
The Wilsons circulated a petition that accrued 498 signatures, 286 of which were from Lakeside Park residents. They also operate Wilson’s Henhouse Advocacy, an initiative that supports backyard chickens in Lakeside Park.
Before the ordinance was voted on, Beth Wilson, Jim’s wife, asked the city council to consider grandfathering in their chickens since they owned them before the 2015 nuisance ordinance passage.
“We are simply asked that our lives not be turned upside down and that we may continue to care for our daughter and her animals, who are truly part of our family,” Wilson said.