Dunwoody bans backyard chickens

By Ralph Ellis

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

(Editor's note: This story was published in March, 2010.)

Dunwoody is kicking out the chickens.

The city council decided Monday night against amending its zoning ordinance to allow residents to keep chickens in their backyards. The vote was 4-3, with Mayor Ken Wright casting the tie-breaking vote.

Most metro Atlanta cities allow backyard chickens, though some chicken keepers have clashed with local government. In Roswell, a man cited for keeping chickens got the city ordinance thrown out. Roswell's city council rewrote the law.

Dunwoody spokeswoman Edie Damann said the Dunwoody council's decision means residents won’t be allowed to raise chickens on their property inside the city limits. She said the city has identified half a dozen families raising chickens.

The proposed change would have allowed only residents of single-family homes to keep chickens, with the number limited by the size of the lot. For instance, owners of lots 10,000 to 15,000 square feet in size could have kept six birds. Roosters would have been prohibited.