Cock-A-Doodle-Do Something: Greenwich Looks To Address Rooster Noise Issue

GREENWICH, CT — On May 26, Greenwich resident Aron Boxer went before the Board of Selectmen looking for help.

Boxer, a resident of Walnut Street in Cos Cob, said he had been trying to get a reprieve from his neighbor's roosters for the past 20 months.

Now the town is looking to address the issue of rooster noise for the future.

"I'm here to get peace; peace of mind, and a literal peace from the cacophony of roosters littering the peacefulness of the day," Boxer told the board. He didn't mention his neighbor by name. "With their constant crowing, they go from dawn until dusk. I listen to crowing, sometimes it goes on for hours and hours upon end with no more than a 10 minute break."

Boxer, who stressed that he's an animal lover, said the roosters have impacted his sleep, and his ability to work from home as a learning specialist and executive functioning coach.

"Every state in the country has rooster laws," he said, mentioning several towns in Connecticut. "Even in New York City, they don't allow roosters. In a concrete jungle, they know what a nightmare roosters represent in neighborhoods that exist in tight quarters."

Roosters don't serve a purpose, Boxer said, unlike chickens which provide eggs.

"The ability to have a rooster is not based on public interest, but a loophole that violates public and private nuisance laws," Boxer said.

Boxer's neighbor, Peter Janis, told Patch last week that in order to deescalate the situation and "be a good neighbor," he found a home for his remaining two roosters in Monroe, CT. He had been working on finding them a new home for several weeks.

Janis once had four roosters, but got rid of the first two around the time Boxer moved in next door in 2020. He still has two hens and six call ducks.

The roosters would be let out after 9 a.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. on weekends, Janis said, and the only complaints he heard from other neighbors came when he forgot to bring them in.

Janis said he tried to appease Boxer by soundproofing the chicken coop in order to keep the sound down. He also got neck restrictors to muffle the roosters' crowing.

Roosters are important and serve a role, Janis said.

"They do do something. They protect the flock and they kind of control the social order of the flock," he said.

"I feel for him," Janis said of Boxer. "If I was running my business from home and having meetings at home, I would probably want it dead quiet, but it's a residential neighborhood. You're going to have kids, you're going to have dogs, you're going to have noises."

Boxer confirmed in an email to Patch last week that the roosters were gone, and he appreciated Janis' willingness to work towards a solution.

No Zoning Rules For Roosters

According to Greenwich Planning & Zoning Director Katie DeLuca, there are no zoning rules for roosters. Chickens are permitted subject to the following:

• No slaughtering permitted ever
• Eggs may not be sold without obtaining special exception approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
• You must comply with Health Department requirements, which include
• Distance requirements from the property line
• You must obtain approval from Inland Wetlands Watercourses Agency
• If the coop is over 6 feet it is a structure and requires a building permit

Michael Long, Greenwich's director of environmental services, said a coop is not defined until someone has 10 chickens. Once that number is reached, the coop has to meet certain setbacks to residences, wells and water supplies.

The town's health department went to Janis' property last week after Boxer had filed a complaint. Health officials did a headcount of Janis' remaining birds, and did not find any violations.

Additionally, Long said domestic and wildlife noises are excluded from the town's noise ordinance.

"It makes sense that we try to protect people's peace and tranquility," First Selectman Fred Camillo told Patch last week. "I'm sure a lot of people who own roosters don't mean to do this. They love animals. You want to come to a compassionate resolution, but one that does address the concern."

Camillo said he'd meet with health department and zoning officials, and the town attorney.

Boxer said in an email to Patch he's "optimistic" that when the town revisits existing ordinances, it will develop "more transparent guidelines regarding fowl."

"In the end, I feel that we are all striving to be good neighbors. Having lived in Greenwich almost my entire life, I am so proud to be part of a community that cares enough to address any issue, big or small," Boxer said.

Janis said he wants residents to be self-governing, but said there could be an instance in the future that requires an ordinance.

"I think it's the type of thing where maybe the town should have something where you have to get a sign-off from all your neighbors," he said, acknowledging that the issue seems trivial compared to other issues in the world. "If [neighbors sign-off], you can have a rooster. If they don't, you can't. The problem is going to be, where do you draw the line?"