Why did the chicken cross the road?

By CHANSE WATSON

Managing Editor

WALLACE — Following in the footsteps of their neighbors in Mullan, the city of Wallace may be looking to amend their animal ordinance and allow residents to keep chickens (and rabbits) inside city limits.

Councilwoman Heather Branstetter purposed this idea at January’s city council meeting because of feedback she has received from several residents.

“There are some secret chickens in Wallace, and I know there’s other people that would like to have chickens that don’t want to be illegal about it.”

These individuals who have dreams of fresh farm eggs, meat and compost are currently out of luck though, according to the current city ordinance wording concerning animals.

Section 5-4B-24 states:

“It shall be unlawful for any person within the City limits of Wallace to own, harbor, keep or possess any farm animal of any type, or wild and/or exotic or deleterious animal of any nature within the City Limits. No monkey, horse, mule, cow, calf, steer, bull, swine, chicken…or other deleterious animal, except house cats, shall be allowed to run at large, or to be herded in any public places within City limits, or upon any private premises open to the public…”

The current version of the ordinance was approved by the council in July 2013.

Branstetter points out that there are several bigger cities in Idaho that allow chickens. The city of Mullan even passed a measure in 2016 to amend their ordinance and allow the feathered critters in.

The purposed edit to the Wallace ordinance would closely mirror the one passed in Mullan that added language exempting chickens or rabbits from the banned farm animal list (roosters would still be banned if the proposal passes).

If passed and unchanged from the Mullan version, a Wallace resident would be able to legally have no more than eight chickens and/or rabbits combined. Owners would be required to keep the animals in a secure (fenced) enclosure that is not built on an exterior boundary lot line, ensure that they have access to food, water and shelter, register them with the city, and pay a yearly fee of $5.

The Wallace City Council will revisit the topic at their next meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 14 in City Hall. If the council decides to move forward with the idea, they will open it up to public comment and then make a final decision mostly likely at the March meeting.