Detroit husbandry amendment: Residential ownership of chickens, ducks, and bees passes

It will soon be legal for private citizens to own chickens, ducks, and bees within the city of Detroit after the city council amended the ordinance regulating animal ownership.

Private homeowners will now be permitted to keep any of the three animal species as long as residents follow rules that pertain to appropriate shelters for the specific livestock and insects, waste management, pest mitigation, and proper health documentation.

The law does not allow for the ownership of roosters, pigs, horses, cows, or other animals not named in the law.

In one of the biggest updates to Detroit's urban agriculture law, the amendment which was sponsored by City Council President Pro Tem James Tate, passed by a 5-3 vote.

"It's time for us to allow for policy to catch up with the reality of things," he said during Tuesday's city council meeting.

The law will take effect Jan. 31, 2025.

While it's unclear how many residents already own the animals specified under the new law, studies show that up to 3,000 homes could own ducks, chickens, and bees within the next 10 years.

Under the amendment, residential ownership would allow for up to eight ducks or chickens and four honey bee hives.

Anyone that wants to own those animals will need to adhere to strict rules governing the enclosures that would house them, as well as proper removal of manure, and tagging of those animals.

Residents would need to obtain a license before owning one of the permitted animals.

In arguing for the amendment, Tate said while some disagreed with the law, there was not a lot of community pushback to the update. The law ensures "balancing self-determination with being a good neighbor," he said. "I believe that is what we've done."

Councilmembers Angela Whitfield-Calloway, Scott Benson, and Mary Waters voted against the amendment. Waters said she worried that not enough of the city could provide input on the issue and said it should have gone onto the ballot.

Whitfield-Calloway worried about enforcement of the new law.

"We can't control what we have running loose in our neighborhoods," she said, referring to dogs escaping backyards and goats getting out of their enclosures.

Tate said much of the enforcement would be driven by the "community policing itself." The city would rely on citizen complaints to catch anyone breaking the rules.