Advocate from Northern Kentucky pushes for laws enabling small-scale poultry farming in backyards throughout Kentucky
In a move to address ongoing challenges and legal disputes, Kentucky lawmaker Rep. Steven Doan has introduced House Bill 806 to allow residents to keep backyard chickens as pets. The bill, which defines a backyard chicken as a "domesticated hen kept on residential property for personal egg production and educational purposes, excluding commercial farming," has been discussed in towns across Kentucky.
The bill, designed to balance residents' desires to keep such animals with local regulation, has been motivated in part by challenges faced by residents who have emotional support chickens, leading to lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) after cities took steps against them.
The bill, however, does not address any specific diseases associated with backyard chickens. Sen. Steve Rawlings, R-Burlington, stated that critics at a city meeting he attended raised concerns about chickens spreading disease. In response, Eric Bunzow, a constituent of Rep. Doan, explained that the bill under discussion aims to give cities and municipalities control over what people can do with their chickens, with the exception of prohibiting them from having them.
The bill also gives local municipalities control over how chickens can be kept without outright banning them. This means that homeowner associations could still regulate against backyard chickens. Sen. Rawlings mentioned that he had read articles about chicken waste being a good fertilizer, suggesting a potential benefit for local agriculture.
It is worth noting that no votes were taken on House Bill 806 in the 2025 legislative session. The Kentucky General Assembly's 2026 legislative session begins on Jan. 6, and the bill will likely be revisited then. The bill does not mention any regulations for commercial farming of chickens.
The discussion is important due to challenges seen in northern Kentucky, including ongoing litigation related to emotional support chickens. The bill, if passed, would provide clarity and potentially prevent such disputes in the future. It remains to be seen how the bill will progress in the upcoming legislative session.
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- The bill, initially proposed to accommodate residents keeping backyard chickens as pets for personal egg production and educational purposes, has drawn attention in towns across Kentucky, including northern Kentucky, as it helps resolve disputes involving emotional support chickens under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- The proposed regulation empowers local municipalities to set guidelines for the keeping of backyard chickens, allowing homeowner associations to regulate but not ban them, which could impact the lifestyle and home-and-garden choices of pet chicken owners.
- Controversy surrounding the bill persists due to concerns about potential chicken-related diseases, as criticized at city meetings, and the bill's silence on commercial chicken farming regulations, leaving room for discussion and potential modifications in the Kentucky General Assembly's 2026 legislative session.
