Backyard Chickens Upset Some Darien Residents

DARIEN, IL — In Darien, you can have as many backyard chickens as you want as long as they do not create a nuisance such as noise, officials said this week. They said a resident on Seminole Drive has a number of chickens, which has upset neighbors.

At Monday's City Council meeting, Ward 7 Alderman Tom Belczak said the street was in his ward and that he had received complaints. He said it would be wise for the city to consider drafting an ordinance to regulate chickens.

One neighbor told Belczak that Darien has an ordinance dealing with chickens, but she was looking at the one from Darien, Wis. The alderman said he looked at the southeastern Wisconsin town's rules and found they make sense. The town requires a permit for chickens, but if 51 percent of the owners of neighboring properties are against a chicken request and no resolution is reached, then the community denies a permit.

Belczak said the resident in question in his ward had a rooster, but the resident was cited for a noise violation because of the rooster's crowing.

Mayor Joseph Marchese told the council that many people in town have chickens. One of his good friends, he said, has neighbors on both sides with chickens.

Ward 5 Alderwoman Mary Sullivan noted the recent trend for people getting more chickens, which she called "COVID chickens." Because people are home more during the pandemic, she said, they see it as good time to raise the birds.

In response to the concerns, Dan Gombac, the city's municipal services director, said he would look at how other towns are handling chickens. That research could include Darien, Wis., he said.