A committee of the Aurora City Council has tabled its discussion of possibly lifting the city’s ban on backyard chickens.
No official ordinance was drafted, but aldermen who sit on the City Council Rules, Administration and Procedures Committee have spent time at the past several meetings discussing the possibility of allowing backyard chickens within city limits and the logistics of how that may work. They’ve also heard from the city’s Animal Care and Control division about the idea, including its current response to backyard chickens.
Currently, city code bans people from keeping dangerous animals, bees or farm animals within city limits, but special permission can be given to things like pony rides and petting zoos.
At the committee’s most recent meeting, held last Tuesday, aldermen voted unanimously to not consider lifting the ban until at least the new year. At that time, it might be brought back before the committee after consulting with Animal Control and the mayor’s office, said Ald. Edward Bugg, 9th Ward.
Some committee members said they were concerned that lifting the ban would add more work for the Animal Control division, especially considering that cuts may be coming in 2026 as the city faces a roughly $30 million budget shortfall.
“I don’t think we are in a position to add new programs, add any new duties and such to existing staff not knowing the full outcome of the 2026 budget,” said Ald. Dan Barreiro, 1st Ward.
Both Alds. Javier Banuelos, 7th Ward, and Will White, at-large, said at the meeting that they agreed with Barreiro and that they did not believe Animal Control had the ability to take on any additional work.
If the city was in a different financial spot, lifting the ban might be something to consider, White said.
According to Bugg, the committee has received “a lot of input” from residents and other aldermen. In the past and at the meeting Tuesday, residents spoke in favor of allowing backyard chickens, citing a steady supply of eggs, educational benefits and the disposal of food waste, among other things.
Bugg also cited a few of these positives when discussing the idea of lifting the ban in previous meetings, but he also highlighted various potential issues, including that chickens may attract predators and mice or that people may have moved within city limits expecting to not have to deal with their neighbors keeping chickens.
Aldermen also previously discussed various restrictions that would still be placed on those keeping backyard chickens if the ban is eventually lifted. Some discussed potential restrictions included the ban of roosters, the ban of slaughtering chickens and requirements around upkeep.
If the ban is one day lifted city-wide, individual homeowners associations would still be able to stop its residents from keeping backyard chickens, but homeowners associations cannot allow them if the city keeps the ban in place, city legal staff have previously said.
The city had 33 calls about backyard chickens last year, and this year that number was already at 43 by the start of August, Bugg said during a past meeting. Aurora Animal Control Manager Kameron DeBoer previously said her division has noticed more coyote sightings near where there are frequent calls about backyard chickens.
Coops that are not properly maintained can start to smell and attract predators, she has said, but a well-maintained enclosure is unlikely to be noticed by neighbors.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
