OOLITIC — The Oolitic Town Council has approved a new ordinance establishing standards for residents who keep chickens within town limits, while prohibiting roosters.
Ordinance 11-2025, passed August 25, outlines detailed requirements for maintaining flocks. Under the measure, residents may keep chickens if they meet space, sanitation, and health standards. Chicken coops and attached runs must provide at least 12 square feet per bird, remain clean and odor-free, and be designed to protect poultry from predators, rodents, and wild birds. Coops must also provide adequate ventilation, shelter from the elements, and access to feed and clean water that cannot be reached by other animals.
The ordinance bans roosters within the corporate limits. Residents who currently have roosters must register them with Town Hall. If a rooster becomes a nuisance, its owner has 30 days to remove or remediate the problem or face fines.
Other provisions require that chickens remain fully enclosed on the owner’s property, with no slaughtering allowed. Coops and runs must be located at least 15 feet from property lines and shielded from neighbors’ view by a sight fence or shrubbery at least four feet high.
For questions or comments, you can call Oolitic City Hall at 812-275-6813.
