COLUMBUS, Ohio — Goats, chickens and rabbits – for Ohioans, these animals and many, many more could be coming to a backyard nearby.

 

On tap is a new state bill aimed to sidestep local zoning regulations and allow homeowners to have some small barnyard animals on property not originally intended for agriculture.

 

The formal measure is called House Bill 175 and is being sponsored by State Rep. Tom Brinkman Jr. (R-Mt. Lookout) and backed by 20 cosponsors. It’s commonly being called the “barnyard bill.” While it leaves the door open to what barn animals can be raised, it specifically rejects roosters and small livestock that create a nuisance.

 

Brinkman’s bill prescribes a limit of how many small livestock can be kept in a residential backyard based on overall acreage and the type of animal. The bill would allow homeowners to have one goat for every 0.3 acre of land, one chicken or fowl for every 0.05 acre and a rabbit or other small animal for every 0.5 acre. It would also require sanitary living conditions.

 

H.B. 175 is intended to ease the tension already brewing in many Ohio municipalities. In Montgomery and Greene counties the debate of whether to permit barnyard animals in residential areas is ongoing. Phil Parker, a Beavercreek resident (just east of Dayton), said he grew up on a farm raising chickens, hogs and cattle in a rural community.

 

“Beavercreek has changed a lot and I don’t think your average citizen, your average household, wants to deal with chickens,” he said.

 

On the other hand, Jim and Pam Reisen said chickens are “pets with benefits” of eggs, and they should be allowed in the city. “It shouldn’t be any different if you have a chicken or a dog,” Jim Reisen said. “I could have a 150-pound dog in my backyard but that’s okay, but a 5- or 6-pound chicken is objectionable. It doesn’t make sense.”

 

At this time there is a city charter that bans chickens in Huber Heights, located just north of Dayton. The charter also indicates that roosters, which are notoriously noisy, aren’t included as small livestock. The city of Dayton itself is now taking a survey of citizens, asking whether such small farm animals should be permitted within city limits.