Domesticated Chickens Permit Application

Domesticated Chickens Permit
As per Town of Indian Head’s (Town) Zoning Ordinance, a property owner must verify each of
the following standards for housing domesticated chickens within the Town limits are satisfied:
1. Review and agree with Section 1142 of the Town’s Zoning Ordinance; i.e., Standards for
Domesticated Chickens.
2. The property must be located within the R‐1 or R‐2 Zoning Districts.
3. An annual permit, signed by the Property Owner, is required.
4. Proof of registration with the Maryland Department of Agriculture is required.
5. A maximum of eight (8) female chickens are allowed per lot regardless of how many
dwelling units are on the lot.
6. Chickens shall be kept for personal use only (non‐commercial); no person shall sell eggs
or engage in chicken breeding or fertilizer production for commercial purposes.
7. Chickens must be kept in a maximum of a 32 square foot area, which includes the
enclosure and fenced area (chicken pen), at all times during daylight hours.
8. Chickens shall be secured within a henhouse during non‐daylight hours.
9. Henhouses, enclosures, and fenced areas shall be kept no less than twenty (20) feet
from all property lines and shall only be located in rear yards if a primary residence
exists on the property. For a corner lot or other property where no rear yard exists,
these facilities shall not be located any closer to a public street than the primary
residence. Henhouses are not allowed to be located in any part of a home.
10. Any enclosure or coup that has not been actively used to house chickens for one (1)
year must be dismantled and removed from the property.
11. Odors from chickens, chicken manure, or other chicken‐related substances shall not be
perceptible at the property boundaries.
12. Perceptible noise from chickens shall not be loud enough at the property boundaries to
disturb persons of reasonable sensitivity.
13. The slaughtering of chickens is prohibited within Town limits.
14. Only motion‐activated lighting may be used to light the exterior of the henhouse.
15. The property owner and/or chicken owner shall take all necessary action to reduce the
attraction of predators and rodents and the potential infestation of insects and
parasites that may result in unhealthy conditions to human habitation. If unhealthy
conditions are found, the chickens may be removed by the Town, through the animal
 control officer, or any other designee, and the cost shall be borne by the property
owner and/or chicken owner.
16. Chickens must be provided with access to feed and clean water at all times; Zoning
Chapter Town of Indian Head, Maryland 191 revised April 2021 such feed and water
shall be unavailable to rodents, wild birds and predators.
17. Provision must be made for the storage and removal of chicken manure. All stored
manure shall be covered by a fully enclosed container or compost bin. No more than
one, twenty (20) gallon container of manure shall be stored on any one property
housing chickens. All other manure shall be removed. In addition, the henhouse,
chicken pen and surrounding area must be kept free from trash and accumulated
droppings. Uneaten feed shall be removed in a timely manner.
18. Any violation of the provisions above shall be grounds for an order from the Town to
remove the chickens and the chicken related structures. The Code Enforcement officer
may order the removal of the chicken upon a determination that the chickens pose a
health risk. If a chicken dies, it must be disposed of promptly in a sanitary manner.

I verify that that I’ve read, understand and will comply with all the of
the above requirements.

_______________________________ ______________________________
Applicant’s Signature Date of Application

_____________________________________________________________________________
Applicant’s Address

Issuance date: . Note – this permit expires 1 year after the issuance date.