Soap Lake Municipal code forcing me to keep my chickens in their coop PERMANENTLY

[Bubblesunrise]

Hello,
City municipal code link here: https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/SoapLake/

I am a very frustrated and angry chicken owner. I am working very hard to keep my girls safe and happy. I have a neighbor who had called municipal code on my coop for being too close to my property line. So I moved it. Then I got another letter for my “chickens running at large”
The attached photo is their proof. The photos is my girls in a run I’ve been building.
I called the police department and they specified that if my chickens are not in a coop, henhouse, or tractor then they are considered at large. I don’t have money to buy anything new. Also my girls like to walk around my backyard while my wife is home but apparently that’s even more of a no now. I can’t keep them in my wooden coop!! That’s inhumane!! They need to forage.
The code officer told me if I don’t like it I need to change the municipal code by getting in contact with city council.

If dogs can be inside a fence and not be at large, my girls should too.
Also apologies on my yard, it’s a work in progress.

Please help!! I don’t know where to go from here on…

 

[Yah]

Move to the country. Or put up a fence so know one can see in on what your doing

 

[RisingPhoenixFarms]

Your neighbor sounds like someone i wouldn't like very much.

 

[WthrLady]

If a dog running around contained in a backyard isn't considered 'at large' then chickens shouldn't be either.
Meanwhile...free roaming cats..
Would they consider children playing in a fenced, contained, backyard unsupervised or endangered?!

That said, a 4 foot fence wouldn't keep my girls in/out and once out, they would be 'at large'.

 

[Bubblesunrise]

UPDATE:

With some patience and kindness I got it resolved! My municipal code officer closed it, he saw I cared a lot about this and that I wouldn’t let my girls loose off my property. He offered to mediate with my neighbor if this issue arises again too and gave me the info of a city planner to get the municipal code language cleared up as well.

 

[Kimberoo]

Yep, pretty much. I don’t have a lot of money so it limits my ability to do things. Eventually I want a wooden fence so no one can look in. But for now, I think my best bet to keep my girls and not get fined is to change the code.
My neighbo Directly to the right of my house, shares a yard with me and she loves my girls, so it’s nice to have someone’s support irl but I don’t even know what kind of letter to draft to get this changed.

I would try to find other like-minded people in your area and have them attend the next city council meeting with you. Do you have a local Facebook page for chickens or homesteading? Maybe one of them has experience with this kind of local activism. If you can arrange a meeting with a city council-person before the meeting, even better. Typically council meetings have time to hear complaints/suggestions. Explain your side of things and propose a change to the ordinance to allow ranging in a run and/or in the boundaries of the owner's yard. If you have multiple people attesting that they support such a change, it's more likely to make a difference. Maybe have a vet or other specialist write/speak about the concerns of not letting backyard chickens have time out of their coop?

 

[puddle_drinker]

Hello,
City municipal code link here: https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/SoapLake/

I am a very frustrated and angry chicken owner. I am working very hard to keep my girls safe and happy. I have a neighbor who had called municipal code on my coop for being too close to my property line. So I moved it. Then I got another letter for my “chickens running at large”
The attached photo is their proof. The photos is my girls in a run I’ve been building.
I called the police department and they specified that if my chickens are not in a coop, henhouse, or tractor then they are considered at large. I don’t have money to buy anything new. Also my girls like to walk around my backyard while my wife is home but apparently that’s even more of a no now. I can’t keep them in my wooden coop!! That’s inhumane!! They need to forage.
The code officer told me if I don’t like it I need to change the municipal code by getting in contact with city council.

If dogs can be inside a fence and not be at large, my girls should too.
Also apologies on my yard, it’s a work in progress.

Please help!! I don’t know where to go from here on…

I'm not an attorney, but after reading the code language the first thing I would do is put a sign on the chickens home that says something like "Bubblesunrise Hen House" so it's clear that it is a house for hens. A hen house, according to the code, does not require a $50 "coop license". Unless you've already paid the one time "coop license".

That code is rather non-chicken friendly. Maybe see if the Farm to Consumer Legal defense fund can provide advice. https://www.farmtoconsumer.org/

Read Joel Salatin's "Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front" for inspiration.

Good Luck!

 

[Bubblesunrise]

Yep, pretty much. I don’t have a lot of money so it limits my ability to do things. Eventually I want a wooden fence so no one can look in. But for now, I think my best bet to keep my girls and not get fined is to change the code.
My neighbo Directly to the right of my house, shares a yard with me and she loves my girls, so it’s nice to have someone’s support irl but I don’t even know what kind of letter to draft to get this changed.

 

[FunClucks]

Go for it with the ordinance changing.

In the meantime, consider obtaining free pallets and constructing a private/fenced run. If they can't be seen, they can't be complained about. Put bird netting over the top, or a fencing panel to prevent them leaving or hawk attacks.

 

[Bubblesunrise]

I would try to find other like-minded people in your area and have them attend the next city council meeting with you. Do you have a local Facebook page for chickens or homesteading? Maybe one of them has experience with this kind of local activism. If you can arrange a meeting with a city council-person before the meeting, even better. Typically council meetings have time to hear complaints/suggestions. Explain your side of things and propose a change to the ordinance to allow ranging in a run and/or in the boundaries of the owner's yard. If you have multiple people attesting that they support such a change, it's more likely to make a difference. Maybe have a vet or other specialist write/speak about the concerns of not letting backyard chickens have time out of their coop?

Awesome idea. My town is super small so we don’t have a homesteading or chicken page. We have a Soap Lake for Locals page however. Would posting on there be a good idea?