‘Allow us to take control of our health’ | Stockton now allows residents to own chickens, ducks and more
As more people are picking up gardening amid the pandemic, the City of Stockton passed a new law that would allow residents to own chickens, ducks, and bees.
By Kurt Rivera, Joseph Daniels
(ABC10)
Sept 16, 2020
Excerpt:
Stockton’s city council voted unanimously Tuesday night to update the city’s laws to give its residents the ability to do more urban farming.
The new Urban Agriculture Ordinance allows some residents to have chickens, ducks, or bees, but roosters aren’t included. The new law also allows for more fruit and produce stands in convenience stores in areas considered to be “food deserts.”
“This new ordinance is very timely,” Assistant Director of Economic Development Janice Miller said in a news release. “Many people recently took up gardening or growing a few fruits and vegetables during this stay-at-home period.”
However, there are restrictions on the new agriculture ordinance.
Residents can only own four chickens if their property is at least 5,000 feet. All chickens and ducks have to be confined in the enclosure when no one is available to respond to the birds immediately. And the birds and ducks have to be kept away at least 20 feet away from the nearest neighbor’s home.
It is also still against the law to slaughter live chickens or ducks at residentially zoned lots, according to the new law’s restrictions.
