BOILING SPRING LAKES — Boiling Spring Lakes Commissioners denied adopting a new “keeping of animals” ordinance amendment by a 4-1 vote Monday.
The amendment, approved by the city’s Planning Board in March, would have opened up limited chicken ownership to all zoning districts.
Related: Oak Island looks to regulate domestic chickens, Boiling Spring Lakes considers allowing more
Now the existing code will remain in place. Chickens are only permitted in Boiling Spring Lakes’ R-6 zoning district with a minimum 5-acre lot size.
The new code would have allowed chickens — hens only — to be kept with a permit, on at least a quarter-acre lot. A maximum of four chickens was proposed with 10-feet setback requirements.
Commissioners first debated the ordinance amendment at a public hearing in May. They did not vote on the change and sent it back to staff for a few tweaks. Setback requirements were shortened from 25 feet to 10 feet and lowered the maximum hen requirement from eight to four.
On Monday, at the city’s regular meeting, a majority of Commissioners denied the ordinance amendment. Commissioner Steven Barger, who recently announced his intention run for mayor, wrote on Facebook he remains in favor of keeping a small number of hens with a permit.
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