Backyard Chicken Regulations
Active
23 meetings ·
2024-12-05 to 2026-09-25
Zoning amendments regulating residential fowl keeping — number of chickens, setback distances, coop requirements.
Timeline (23 meetings)
Dec 5, 2024
Board of Education
also want to mention I had a chance to spend some time at PVC just before the Thanksgiving holiday and in a really had a nice and fun example of Faculty bringing students together for a a shared experience Mr signno Mr Gallagher and Miss ernow brough…
Jan 28, 2026
Board of Trustees Work Session
So, the sub the sub substantive changes that are included in this local law, in section two, there are a number of definitions in our code that were either outdated or, were sufficiently vague that they left some interpretation, right, which is not u…
a certain number per size of your lot, I think, is very helpful. Yeah. So currently, you can have 25 whether you're RA five, RA 60, anything in between, you can have 25 chickens. So what we've proposed is, allowing it proportionally based on the size…
Feb 4, 2026
Waterfront Advisory Committee
Engineering Department
Boarder Permit §230-48.5 $250.00
Resolution #16-2026
On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NICHOLSON, the following
resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Cr…
Feb 18, 2026
Waterfront Advisory Committee
WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
Wedesday, February 18, 2026 4:30 p.m. APPROVED
Small Conference Room
PRESENT Len Simon, Chairperson
Stuart Greenbaum (Absent)
Steve Krisky
Stacey Nachtaler (Absent)
Leo Wiegman
ALSO PRESENT: Vincent Salanitro, P.…
Chairman
LEN SIMON
Members
STUART GREENBAUM
STEVE KRISKY
Village of Croton-on-Hudson STACEY NACHTALER
LEO WIEGMAN
2 Village Engineer
Waterfront Advisory Committee VINCENT SALANITRO, PE. Stanley H. Kellerhouse Municipal Building Secretary
One Van Wyck…
WATERFRONT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
Wedesday, February 18, 2026 4:30 p.m. PRESENT Len Simon, Chairperson
Stuart Greenbaum (Absent)
Steve Krisky
Stacey Nachtaler (Absent)
Leo Wiegman
Small Conference Room
ALSO PRESENT: Vincent Salanitro, P.E.…
Village of
Waterfront Advisory Committee
Stanley H. Kellerhouse Municipal Building
One Van Wyck Street
Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520-2501
TO:
Mayor Brian Pugh and the Village Board of Trustees
FROM: Chairman Simon, Waterfront Advisory Committee
…
Feb 24, 2026
Planning Board
Alright. So number four, where we talk about keeping a fowl, this mainly refers to chickens, I'm guessing. We added a table that states the maximum number of fowl is permitted and is based on lot size. So the bigger the lot size, essentially, the mor…
the 15 feet? I guess so that there weren't chickens right on the proper line being penned, making noise, I guess.
Well, and there's fecal matter associated with chickens, and you probably don't want that right on your property line if you share border with a neighbor. A little smelly.
Acting Chairperson Geoff Haynes declared that this matter is adjourned to our next public
meeting, assuming the applicants are ready.
b) Referral from the Village Board of Trustees to review draft Local Law Introductory
No. 3 of 2026, the EAF and C…
Mar 11, 2026
Board Of Trustees
Resolution #47-2026
On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NICHOLSON, the following
resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson,
New York with a 5-0 vote.
WHEREAS Local Law Introductory No. 3 of 2026 …
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees hereby
schedules a Public Hearing to be held on March 25, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the
Georgianna Grant Meeting Room of the Stanley H. Kellerhouse Municipal Building to
consider the adoption …
Mar 25, 2026
Board Of Trustees
Hello. My name is Matthew Rubenstein. I live on Truesdale Drive. I'm focusing on, the part of the code that's being revised. It's section three article four district use regulations section two thirty dash 9.1. So if you wanna look at the code or not…
So I'm I'm happy to see that change, but, it now is changing where foul pens can be located, which under the current code before these changes, is no closer than 50 feet from a property line. And it is, in this revision, being set to 15 feet from the…
So it's you have 10 foul versus 25 foul within 50 feet. So it had to get to that numerical threshold before it would apply, and that's why I think the ambiguity was. Yeah. And it's it was it also had to do with the commas. Right? Which is Yeah. Right…
A motion to open a Public Hearing on Local Law Introductory No. 3 of 2026
to amend Chapter 230, Zoning, of the Village Code to address various
inconsistencies, update definitions and amend the number of fowl
permitted on resid…
Matthew Rubenstein, 105 Truesdale Drive, Croton on Hudson, addressed the
section of the code dealing with fowl, and stated that allowing ten fowls on
properties of .3 acres is way too many. Mr. Rubenstein also addressed the
ch…
To view the Planning Board’s memo, you may log onto the following link:
https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2026-
03/197b7a982b2cebd140b2b4742ab264900eba4304.pdf
Village Manager Healy explained that the Village does not hav…
Apr 8, 2026
Board Of Trustees
Resolution #73-2026
On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NICHOLSON, the following
resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson,
New York with a 5-0 vote.
WHEREAS Local Law Introductory No. 3 of 2026 …
WHEREAS the Village Board held a public hearing to consider Local Law Introductory
No. 3 of 2026, which was opened and closed on March 25, 2026, and
WHEREAS based on the feedback received during and after the public hearing, the
Village Board has de…
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees hereby issues and adopts
the EAF Parts 2 and 3 Determination of Significance attached hereto and adopts a
Negative Declaration in connection with this action, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that …
May 27, 2026
Board of Trustees Work Session
I don't even remember where I was, but I think I was talking about the the how we got to where we are. Mhmm. And so, you know, we wanted to we wanted to have just a fuller discussion on animals in general. I know there had been some points raised obv…
Sure. So I'm what I provided as part of your packet are revisions. The revisions are in red. The the text that was in black was what was presented last time. We heard we actually, I watched the meeting that you discussed this, and we also heard what …
So there's a when you're looking at the this might be something that could go to the zoning board on an unrelated matter as far as I understand it. So I don't wanna give them problems with me giving you an interpretation, but there are two definition…
thing. Yeah. Definite the more definition this is how we started out this whole thing. Right? That's what I'm saying. The more definitions, the better. Yeah. Yeah. So how so how do we do that? What's the We just add the word pigeons, where it says ch…
yeah. Any animals, but I guess especially foul that they would have flags on. I mean, I don't Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think I I think and, you know, I can let Valerie speak to this a little bit more, but I think the board might have a hard time banning…
so Brian passed on the the constituents concerns, and I did look into those codes. So the communities so Pelham, Pelham Manor, Port Chester, and Rye Brook prohibit both chickens and pigeons. Right? So Larchmont and Ardsley prohibit pigeons, but they …
but, like, they specifically say no pigeons. make sense to me, to be honest. So I I I feel like, for me, it it might come down to the purpose, the the function of these animals. And I don't know if that's legal or not, but the people I know who own …
the the chickens are they're not flying into neighbor's property and causing issues. Right. Well, and and, actually, that's I wanted to raise that. How do we regulate Well, that was the other thing I was gonna ask Valerie. It's just, you know, I was …
Right. So I've So I think the the well, a couple things. I I just wanted to finish up that Terry Town, though, they are the one exception that they prohibit pigeons but allow chickens. So there you go. Yeah. So there is one community. But I I think I…
they usually don't last very long. There are situations where chickens are wandering around harming from time to time. Right? And we saw we've had it down down the street here.
know, each community is different. So there are some that do allow you know, you can you can have a little bit more of a chicken yard, but it's usually on, like, larger properties. You know, this was sort of developed with the sense of, like, the pro…
I mean, I would be be out of the mind of allowing chickens and forbidding other foul.
be specific because fowl kind of is still ambiguous, and we need to be clear as to what we mean by foul. In the communities that only allow chickens, is there I mean, I get I get I guess, how can you answer this question? But, like, is there confusio…
and you are not causing a nuisance to your neighbors Are ducks messier than chickens? I don't I mean, this is there any I can't believe this is right.
As long as you define it correctly, you can. Right. I I feel like I'm so much more comfortable with making it very specific, like a chicken or or I don't mean, it's like we don't even have to include Doug. I don't know who I'm making angry by saying,…
right, if this is what the board wanted to do, where it says the keeping of fowl, you could just change that to say the keeping of chickens and ducks. Right. Right? Dedicated birds or No.
Right. But if you have chickens, like, can I just put chickens in my back yard and never no one would know about it? Or do you have to if you're putting chickens in the yard, do you have to let
Register the chickens?
Yeah. Not the individual birds, but say I have two. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, like a like a permit for chickens? Yeah.
No. Year yearly thing. That's what I was thinking. But no. Then the other question that came up last time, I'm as I vaguely remember, was something about the number of these. But, like, I guess you can only buy six Yes. You can only buy six chickens …
among everyone that, like, we don't want this to just be we want it to be defined. Yes. Yes. Let's call it chickens and maybe ducks figuring out, like but I would like to understand if there's a downside to ducks. But, like, beyond that, I think we'r…
I think what we don't wanna do is be putting an undue burden on a neighbor who doesn't want anything to do with ducks or chickens Right. And then is gonna be subjected to this. Like, I don't that's the way I'm approaching this. I don't I don't wanna…
summarize. Right? How do people feel comfortable with chickens? Do people feel comfortable with chickens? Yes. Yes. Okay. Alright. So we're okay with chickens. We want more information on ducks.
Okay. We want so chicken's okay. More information on ducks. Pigeons?
tease me about the lat. Manager, I I I know that. That's what it is. But, you know, I but I'm just like, I don't because because if there is a problem, we want the enforcement person to be able to go out and say, that is clearly not a chicken or a du…
it's too hard to differentiate, so we're just gonna say chickens only. But Yeah. Let's find out what's out there, you know, terms of potential But manager, I don't downsides. But one quick note on flightless versus flighted birds. I do wonder about w…
similar? The I believe the town of Ossining allows for chickens. I think the village of Ossining has
chickens. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Correct. Yeah. So, I mean, you'd you'd have five chick up to five chickens 25 feet off the property line. Mhmm. And then okay. So then we talked about this with the sign law, but, you with this law, it's even kind of are peo…
Yeah. I mean, I I don't know. I mean, zoning is different community by community, so I don't know if there's something similar, but we can we can look and see. I I think because I I think there's a case to be made that 20 of five communities that hav…
I think you're gonna find that a lot of communities actually have it less than 25 feet with the chickens. I'm just, you know, but but I can send you examples of that. Great. Thank you.
On a motion by TRUSTEE SLIPPEN, seconded by TRUSTEE SIMON, the Village Board voted
unanimously to suspend the regulations of the Board and Committee Guidelines for 30 days,
specifically in regards to the HEART Committee and allowing an individual t…
Jun 16, 2026
Zoning Board of Appeals
10 a 10 f. Mhmm. Keeping domestic animals except pigs for individual domestic purposes or as pets provided that not more than three dogs over six months old and not more than 25 fowl shall be permitted. And no animals except dogs or cats or fowl shal…
Hello. My name is Matthew Rubenstein. I'm on Trusatlle Drive in Croton, and I I thank you for interpreting this. I know that there has been some ambiguity detected, and I in discussions of my own with the engineering department over the past few year…
That's it. Okay. Okay. So let's close the public hearing, and I think we have a few things to talk about. Number one, with regards to the interpretation of the code. Number one, are pigeons considered domestic animals? Number two, are pigeons conside…
Old Post Road. Okay. I support the pending village ban on pigeons, which is consistent with other municipalities in the county. And for tonight's item, the 50 foot lot line setback requirement with the exception of cats and dogs, for all residential …
Thank you. K. Thank you. Does anyone else wanna speak? Let's reclose the public hearing. And I guess the next thing we talk we talk about is what's a fowl.
two ways of looking at it. The broad fowl is any bird, which from what I learned comes from the old English word for bird, or the scientific definition of what is afoul, which seems to be two separate orders, which seems to be, I would say, the moder…
Well, I'll just start simply with, you know, we say except dogs or cats, which are also kind of lay terms. They're not scientific names for species. That's a good A a tiger is a big cat. So I think that we my inclination is to interpret fowl with the…
I I disagree. I I think fowl, because there's another section of the code where where the village says bird or fowl. Mhmm. Mhmm. Is that in this? Yep. Yeah. So that's what I mean, we're we're trying to interpret what what was meant by when the villag…
this code position provision. It's there is I agree with Jim that there's common usage of foul, geese and ducks and chickens and, you know, poultry, but there's also a different definition which is which is widely used, meaning all bird of any kind, …
Yeah, I think I'm the only one who disagrees because I think where the village talks about keeping or harboring of any animal, fowl, or bird.
You go all the way back to old English? All the way closer to old English. Acknowledging your point though, there I know there was a section in our code that says bird or fowl. So there's some inconsistencies in the drafting. Right. Right. But we're …
I guess we're here just to to to make a a judgment on what we all think on on what on what it is. And then okay. So so fowl shall not be permitted no animals except dogs and cats or fowl shall be penned or housed within 50 feet of a lot line. So if i…
differently, Doug. I I read it that the only exception is dogs and cats. And no animals except dogs or cats. It's like animals are fowl. And I think Ethan And no animals fowl. Well, I'm gonna be in the Doug camp on this one because animals
would encompass fish, birds, frogs, anything. So then you'd feel like the exceptions would be the dogs, cats, or fowl. Mhmm. Although I see why the the lack of a second comma makes it But but the
unclear. The comma would be after fowl then. I think this is, they don't want Right. That's what I would have been I would have wanted to see dogs, cats, and fowl without any comments. Except dogs, cats, and fowl, except all three of those. But I loo…
Mhmm. I think this is and they they didn't they didn't want cows or horses, bigger, larger animals within 50 feet. They had to be. I think this is saying dogs there's plenty of people that have chicken coops. I I I interpret this to be you can have a…
agree with agree I with wanna see dogs, cats, and fowl in one in one parenthetical. Yeah. Those two commas make it a parenthetical. And then the or fowl really is should have been connected to the animals. And, you know, we've seen that there are som…
If you didn't hear me, I I said my interpretation of this is that the intent was if it was a larger animal like a cow or a horse, then they if it was in a pen, it had to be at least 50 feet from the property line. Since this is saying no animals exce…
And and just to circle back since I wasn't talking loud enough before, I think reasonable people certainly could read it that way. I think, I don't have any data on intent. There's no data on intent. So I can't really I can't really look at it and sa…
I I am tending to go your guys way on the foul now due to the age of the code. And you know, as you said, the expansive definition of what a foul And I think it's up to the Village Board of Trustees to tighten that definition, but for our purposes, I…
That no animals or fowl should be penned or housed within 50 feet of lot line. I mean, the second definition on Miriam Webster is a cocker hen of the domestic chicken, especially an adult hen of any of several domesticated or wild, galenacious birds.…
And I see that since it's animals and then except dogs, cats, or fowl, that any other animal than dog, cats, or fowl would be exclude that have to be outside the 50 feet lot line, like a pig or a sheep. And, obviously, nondomesticated animals like a …
2. NEW PUBLIC HEARING
a) Vincent Salanitro, Village Engineer—1 Van Wyck Street— application for an interpretation of
Village Zoning Code Section 230-9.1(A)(10)(f): “Keeping domestic animals, except pigs, for
individual domestic pur…
Chairman Tuman opened the meeting stating that there was one item on the agenda: an application by
Vincent Salanitro, Village Engineer, for an interpretation of Village Zoning Code Section 230-
9.1(A)(10)(f), concerning the keeping of domestic animal…
Mr. Salanitro also indicated that an interpretation of “domestic animal” would be helpful.
Chairman Tuman opened the public hearing and advised speakers that comments should address the
interpretation of the code, not any specific property or enforc…
She urged the Board to clarify that pigeons should not be permitted under the
current code.
The Board then closed the public hearing and began discussion. Members considered whether the term
“fowl” should be interpreted broadly as any bird or more n…
The motion carried unanimously.
MOTION: Mr. Olcott made a motion for the Board to adopt the broad Merriam-Webster definition of
"fowl" and interprets the term "fowl" as used in the zoning code to mean: "A bird of any kind." The Board
further finds t…
Olcott, yes, Mr. Lewis,
yes, Chairman Tuman, yes, Mr. Goldsmith, yes, Mr. Berger, yes. The Board then considered the definition of “fowl.” A motion was made and seconded to interpret “fowl”
broadly to include “a bird of any kind,” consistent with the…
Motion seconded by Mr. Lewis. All in Favor. Vote 5-0. Roll Call: Mr. Olcott, yes, Mr. Lewis,
yes, Chairman Tuman, yes, Mr. Goldsmith, yes, Mr. Berger, yes.
The Board then considered whether, under the code as written, fowl may be penned or housed wi…
The motion
carried by a vote of three in favor and two opposed.
MOTION: Mr. Olcott made a motion to determine that fowl may be penned or housed within 50 feet of a
lot line under the current language of the zoning code and interpreting the phrase "e…
"Keeping domestic animals, except pigs, for individual domestic purposes or as pets, provided that not
more than three dogs over six months old and not more than 25 fowl shall be permitted, and no animals,
except dogs or cats, or fowl shall be penned…
Seconded
by: Mr. Lewis. All in Favor. Vote 5-0. Roll Call: Mr. Goldsmith, yes, Mr. Lewis, yes. Chairman Tuman,
yes, Mr. Olcott, yes, Mr. Berger, yes.
2. Definition of Fowl
Lewis, yes. Chairman Tuman,
yes, Mr. Olcott, yes, Mr. Berger, yes. 2. Definition of Fowl
MOTION: Mr. Olcott made a motion for the Board to adopt the broad Merriam-Webster definition of
"fowl" and interprets the term "fowl" as used in the zoning code…
4
Motion seconded by Mr. Lewis. All in Favor. Vote 5-0. Roll Call: Mr. Olcott, yes, Mr. Lewis, yes,
Chairman Tuman, yes, Mr. Goldsmith, yes, Mr. Berger, yes.
3. Setback Requirement for Fowl
The Board interprets the phrase as follows, applying the …
to mean that fowl are expressly exempted from the fifty-foot setback requirement , consistent with the
plain language of the code and the principle that exceptions stated in a statute must be given effect. This
interpretation avoids rendering any por…
MOTION: Mr. Olcott made a motion to determine that, under the current language of the zoning code,
fowl may be penned or housed within 50 feet of a lot line. The Board interprets the phrase "except dogs or
cats, or fowl" as creating three separate ex…
Olcott, yes, Mr. Lewis, yes, Mr. Berger, yes, Mr. Goldsmith, nay, Chairman Tuman, nay.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board notes the age of the ordinance, the ambiguity in its
wording, and the differing interpretations expressed during deliberati…
Jun 16, 2026
Conservation Advisory Council
The Committee suggests that David Daly of
Trails ought to ask the Chair of the committee for its money or resources such as
chickenwire to address this issue by raising protective barriers for the plants in question. DARK SKIES
● Jason Mencher bro…
The Committee suggests that David Daly of
Trails ought to ask the Chair of the committee for its money or resources such as
chickenwire to address this issue by raising protective barriers for the plants in question. DARK SKIES
● Jason Mencher bro…
Jun 17, 2026
Board Of Trustees
Both deputy mayor Simon and myself are liaisons to the zoning board and planning board. And if anybody was following that, there was on the agenda interpretation of a 1931 law, that was written in very different context. Back then, the world was very…
I encourage everyone to visit their website and see all the great things that they're doing. As as trustee Nachtaler said, our zoning board, I think, did the best that they could in in trying to sort out the meaning of both the the distance issue in …
Summerfest was a huge success and thanked everyone who
worked on it, happy that more flags will be placed around the Village in
celebration of our 250th, happy to report that the IDEA Committee had posted
their agenda for t…
Trustee Simon advised that he and Trustee Nicholson attended a work session
with the School Board and talked about them getting involved in our
composting program, on May 25th a wonderful Memorial Day ceremony was
held at t…
Jun 24, 2026
Board of Trustees Work Session
Alright. Alright. We proceed to perhaps the hottest topic of the evening, a discussion of the village code as it relates to animals and fowls. Manager, you've prepared a memo. Would you like to summarize for Sure. So there's a there's a bunch of stuf…
I guess I'll I'll start with my memo first. So I did some research based on our last work session. So Cornell University is one of the preeminent environmental and agricultural and animal universities. And so they have through their small farms progr…
The USDA, Department of Agriculture, has information available on raising pigeons in small and backyard flocks. USDA notes that pigeons can be raised for meat production, exhibition, or sporting. Regarding housing, they recommend that you have 27 cub…
So Valerie put together, as we just looked at the language, there's still a few remaining questions about the edits this section that the code needs to address before we can sorry, that the board needs to address before we can conclude this work. The…
I I've done some research on this. I know there are there are villages that allow hens and ducks, chickens and ducks, and there are also villages like I believe it might be Tarrytown that only allows hens. No ducks. And, yeah, it's the village of Tar…
that's I think that's you know, I'm looking at Valerie's language, chickens and ducks must be kept in an enclosure or fenced area at all times, which is But it doesn't mean a fenced area doesn't necessarily mean it has a roof. What what is an enclosu…
So you would go chickens only. But Hens. Particularly right. Yeah. No. Roo I mean, roosters are not part of the equation. Right. Because when I think when we say chickens, we mean hens, really. Yeah. Yeah. They're fine. Right. That was exactly What t…
what yeah. Lean toward chickens only in the smaller lots. So would you so would you say I didn't want it to be a new a duck to be potent has potential to be more of a nuisance.
if you're gonna define and limit to ducks and chickens, that will exclude pigeons and geese and roosters. Yeah. Roosters are already prohibited. Yeah. Right. Exactly. But I mean, like So that I'll take care of it and and surveillance. As to as to you…
For chicken. And I just I just wanna say reason. That, you know, we were looking at this section of the code prior to any I mean, right? Remember, this was
Exactly. I just also wanna note that in our code, which has its own section specifically for dogs, which I don't think we're gonna replicate. Right? But we could consider importing the concept of these, you know, citizen complaint provision. I don't …
And I'll to the extent that it's relevant, I'll also note that the noise law or the noise section of our code also addresses, you know, animals. And it says the keeping or harboring of any animal, fowl or bird, which might may by causing frequent or …
from Well inside of it. Yeah. But, I mean, the the thing is that they could be they could potentially be out in the yard too. Right? I mean, the chickens aren't gonna be in the coop twenty four seven. I thought that's what it said. No. It says pens f…
Well, you know, you could also have a provision for when they're applying or whatever, you know, that they would have to provide some documentation. Well, they wouldn't necessarily have to. I mean, they'd have to apply if they were building a a coop.…
necessarily for the community. So no harm, no foul. Pardon the pun. But if it's if it's I was waiting all night for that one. If it's if it's safe, I mean, it is. If there if if, like, it could just it could just live in your yard, I mean, more or le…
Well check. Have our we have our resident farmer. I I am not aware that you have to buy them in. I thought it was, a New York state then. At the at the the tractor supply, you can buy one. You can do it. Just wanna point that out. One duck, one goose…
But anyway, so can we just not like, let's stop using that word because that's the confusion. I haven't I been using it. I've been saying chicken and ducks. And the mayor just used it, like, you know, another usage of it. So okay.
Chicken and ducks.
And you wanted to say But I but if it's causing a delay Yeah. But I just wanna I just wanna clear on what on what the so she's saying chickens and ducks. Yes. She was saying chickens and ducks and all And I was saying
just the hens, chickens Right. In in the smaller lot sizes because Not the ducks. The ducks because of the reasons I was Who? Saying about ducks, you know.
They tend to be more flight of birds. I don't wanna make a decision that makes it so we have to come like, when we make this decision, I don't ever wanna talk about chickens, ducks, or fowl ever again. I think that however live draft and begin the pr…
how do we have any idea how many people this is impacting in the village? Like, many people have chicken coops? We don't know? We we don't really know because,
So is there a reason to make the setback such that it autumn it triggers it so you have to come in and you have to announce to your neighbors and you have to go to the zoning board to get a variance in order to put the chicken coop up?
No. I'm saying in in some some of the municipalities, like the village of Ardsley, and there was one other one that I forget who it was. I think it might have been Rye Brook. They required that if you wanted to keep chickens, you needed to get a spec…
you can do that. But I don't know that having people come in with placards that say, you know, down with chickens is really gonna help the the process of of regulating this use.
I just think that some of the properties are not appropriate for a chicken coop. So And and that and what we're doing right now is going to make those inappropriate properties inhospitable or in, you know, not inhospitable, but but not of you won't b…
You said farm animals are prohibited. Yeah. The key so under the under the proposed language, it's the keeping of farm animals is prohibited except for the keeping of chickens or ducks. That's what it is. It's already in here. So should we specify th…
roost is it It says the keeping of chickens and or ducks, excluding roosters. Okay. Yeah. That's what it's specifically said. Do we we know if anyone in Croton has a farm animal, like
Well, they're already illegal. That's part of the challenge. Well, I mean, the thing is that They allow chicken wings. Ducks and geese. Let me just pull this up. Sorry.
During the work session, the Village Manager also presented an update from Valerie Monastra on
grant opportunities available under the Consolidated Funding Application, the Board continued
discussion on changes to the Village Code related to fowl and…
Jul 1, 2026
Board Of Trustees
we had talked about and you had suggested a date certain for this to become applicable and right now you're looking at 01/01/2027 as being the date that this becomes effective. That seemed to be a consensus in providing people with the opportunity to…
Jul 18, 2026
Croton History
EVIDENCE PACKET — When every Croton yard kept chickens: livestock, henhouses and the village's farming past
STORY BRIEF: This is a HISTORY feature — original research set in Croton's past. Tell the story of chickens/poultry/livestock in the historica…
Farm women and ranch women, however busy, do find time for handling some
poultry, and numbers of them regularly have
an income from "the national bird" at
Thanksgiving time, and another at Christmas time.
Morrill county, according to assessment
…
Morrill county, according to assessment
rolls, has about twenty thousand domestic
fowls, the number of chickens being vastly
predominate.
Horses
[S1] History of Westchester County, New York, Vol. II — Scharf, J. Thomas, ed. History of Westchester County, New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. II. Philadelphia: L.E. Preston …
Nearly every farm has as much pasture
land as cultivated land, and most farms have
more. In the region occupied by the Pierre
clay, and in the area lying south of the Dawes
Table, nearly all of the land is used for
grazing.
The value of poultry…
[S2] Whats Cookin At The Mikado — crotonhistory.org (archive: /history/document/38722)
recommend the house specialty, Chicken or Beef Sukiyaki , “seasoned with Soyu Sauce served in a chafing dish with rice.” Many thanks to the eBay seller who gave us…
[S4] Interview with Palmer, Mrs. — Macdonald, John. Interview with Palmer, Mrs.; (1844-11-01). Experiencing the Neutral Ground of the American Revolution: The McDonald Interviews, WCHS item 341. Transcription courtesy of the Westchester County Histor…
Mrs Palmer. Novr. 1st. Mrs. Palmer:
My husband was one of twelve se-
-lected from his regiment to form Wayne's
forlorn hope at Stoney Point. The day
before the assault, a spy was sent in
to scan the weak points of the fort
&c. in the disguise of a c…
[S6] What's Cookin' at the Mikado? — crotonhistory.org — https://crotonhistory.org/2014/02/17/whats-cookin-at-the-mikado/ (archive: /history/document/6687)
What's Cookin' at the Mikado?
What's Cookin' at the Mikado?
A vintage menu from the Mikado I…
The menu features "Chicken or Beef Sukiyaki, seasoned with Soyu Sauce served in a chafing dish with rice" as the house specialty. This dish represents an interesting culinary intersection of Japanese cuisine offered in the Hudson Valley region
Date:…
[S9] McDonald Interviews — Croton-Area Eyewitness Accounts (1844-1851, WCHS digitized 2025) — Westchester County Historical Society / John M. McDonald Interviews — Digital Collection April 2025 (archive: /history/document/6287)
Item 1418: Interview w…
Archivist summary:
Jesse Fowler (1761-1851) recounts the route of the British force under Robert Abercrombie that raided Crompond on June 3, 1779. During this raid, British soldiers took livestock belonging to Fowler’s father. He also describes the r…
animals, but for the most part, as we are informed, unknown to the Christians. Of tho Land birds. The country is in no wise deprived of its share of birds, for there are found
great numbers of birds of prey, such as: two varieties of Eagles, some th…
But no kitchen utensil
was more unique than the wooden bowls which the
Indians fashioned from the knots of the maple tree
and sold to the house-keepers. Scoured to immaculate
whiteness, they had their place in every family and
were highly prized…
(archive: /history/document/139973)
The greater number of
those who had held places of honor and emolument,
in the Colonial Government, notwithstanding it was
politic to keep quiet, was also, more or less '' disaf-
" fected;" and the multitude, w…
(archive: /history/document/149729)
The greater number of
those who had held places of honor and emolument,
in the Colonial Government, notwithstanding it was
politic to keep quiet, was also, more or less '' disaf-
"fected;" and the multitude, wh…
way. They collected cattle together, or
allowed others to do so, and then shut their
eyes and allowed the Cowboys to take them
to New York. The Cowboys somehow
always found out where there was a lot
of good fat, cattle collected. I used often to go b…
(archive: /history/document/150120)
On the left of the Marylanders, was posted the Delaware Regiment, proud
of its name of " The Blue Hen's Chickens," whom
Colonel Haslet commanded : the remainder of General McDougal's Brigade, composed of the Firs…
(archive: /history/document/140368)
On the left of the Marylanders, was posted the Delaware Regiment, proud
of its name of " The Blue Hen's Chickens," whom
Colonel Haslet commanded : the remainder of General McDougal's Brigade, composed of the Firs…
Not
an exception was made, no matter what reason there
might have been for such an exception ; and everything which had a gun-lock on it, whether useful or
useless for military purposes -- whether a young man's
fowling-piece, with which he was wo…
'Tis by the paternal care, the j)enetrating
" eye, and the mighty arm of his mother country ; who
" like a hen, when the hawk is near, hovers round her
" chickens, takes them under her wings, and preserves
"them from the enemy. I think I have acc…
Heath-hens, also Cranes, Herons, Bitterns, multitudes of Pigeons closely
resembling wood pigeons, but a little smaller ; likewise, Quails, Merlins,
Thrushes, Sand-pipers, but differing in some repects from the Dutch species. There are also other sm…
From them he received assur-
-ances of kind usage. They staid until
- Hufeland Index Page 991 -
a comfortable room had been assigned
for his use, and when they left told him
he would soon be exchanged on parole. An excellent breakfast of coffee and…
But, notwithstanding the evident intentions of those
among whom the thought of creating such a Committee had originated ; notwithstanding the purposes
for which it had been created included no such purpose ; and notwithstanding a separation of the …
a comfortable room had been assigned
for his use, and when they left told him
he would soon be exchanged on parole. An excellent breakfast of coffee and
chickens was then brought in, after
partaking of which his spirits were
resorted, and he felt rea…
Jul 21, 2026
Conservation Advisory Council
● The CCAC discussed how and whether to follow up. ● The CCAC decided to request that the village manager follow up with the DPW to
address the work that according to Ms. Reyer has been neglected. ● In pursuit of this, Halle will contact Ms Rayer an…
Jul 28, 2026
Planning Board
I would point out that in if you look at the setback that's required for, say, somebody wants to have a chicken coop Mhmm. It says that it shall be penned or housed within 50 feet of any lot line. And on my particular house, I'm in I'm not sure if I'…
letters coming in saying that they support chicken like that or don't support chicken?
I don't have chickens. Just so you know, I don't have chickens. A friend of mine does, and I follow him around that field. He doesn't have a rooster. He gets eggs and the chickens anyway. So it's a matter of I have to feed my family. It shouldn't be …
You have to wait. Answer is committed. Maybe people have different thoughts. Yeah. Oh, my my my parents, when they lived in a larger property, had chickens on the property, and they didn't have a rooster. And they got plenty of eggs. Right. It's grea…
Geoff Haynes began by saying that there is a Coastal Assessment Form and Short Environmental
Assessment Form that are short as there is no environmental impact. Steve Krisky noted that if you look
at the setbacks, in some Zoning Districts, you would …
Aug 18, 2026
Topics
DOMESTIC ANIMALS – Any companion animal or pet, including any cat, dog, fish, parrot,
rabbit, or reptile, normally maintained in or near the household of the owner or person who cares
for such animal. A domestic animal shall not include any farm anim…
§230-9.1 A (10) (f) – [Keeping domestic animals, except pigs, for individual domestic purposes
or as pets, provided that not more than three dogs over six months old and not more than 25 fowl
shall be permitted, and no animals, except dogs or cats, o…
Keeping of Animals
(1) the keeping of domestic animals for individual domestic purposes or as pets, provided that no
domestic animals, except dogs or cats, shall be penned or housed within 50 feet of any lot line.
(2) the keeping of chickens and duc…
(b) No chickens or ducks shall be penned or housed within 25 feet of any lot line in the
RA-5 and RB residence districts, or within 50 feet of any lot line in all other residence
districts. (c) Chickens and ducks may not be permitte…
All food or
supplemental food-stuff supplies shall be stored in rodent-proof containers.
(3) the keeping of farm animals other than chickens and ducks, subject to the following
conditions and limitations:
(a) Farm animals shall be permitte…
(d) Lots with any harbored farm animals other than chickens and ducks shall have
appropriate, secure physical fencing, with self-latching gates or doors, to prevent animals
from roaming beyond lot lines or otherwise become animals…
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that the Village Board of Trustees hereby
schedules a Public Hearing to be held on September 2, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the
Georgianna Grant Meeting Room of the Stanley H. Kellerhouse Municipal Building
to consider the ad…
DATE:
June 22, 2026
CC:
Mayor Pugh and Members of the Village Board of Trustees
At the May 27, 2026, Village Board work session, the Board reviewed potential zoning amendments to
Section 230-9.1 for farm animals. It was agreed at that meeting to…
They are as follows:
1) We would like the Village Board to confirm that fowl permitted on a property will be limited to
chickens and ducks.
2) Does the Village Board want to consider edits to the farm animals as well, and which animals do
they wa…
Following the Village Board’s last work session, I have undertaken some research on best practices
for keeping fowl on residential properties.
Cornell University, through its Small Farms Program, provides recommendations for urban farming.
They re…
Regarding health concerns from fowl and poultry, the New York City Department of Health advises
that “diseases associated with pigeon droppings include cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis and
psittacosis.” They further note that the risk of contracting …
The Planning Board stated that the draft local law was written to clarify the existing law by
outlining what is permitted, including the number of animals and the minimum lot size for
certain animals.
The Planning Board would like to point out tha…
FARM ANIMALS - Animals customarily raised on a farm for agricultural purposes
including, but not limited to, fowl, horses, cows, goats, sheep, pigs and donkeys. FOWL Any poultry or domesticated game bird, including but not limited to chickens,
turk…
§ 230-9.1 (A)(11)(h) Keeping of farm animals is prohibited except for the keeping of fowl. [1] The keeping of fowl, excluding roosters, shall be permitted based on the ratio noted in
the table below, and no fowl shall be penned or housed within 2515…
[2] Fowl must be kept in an enclosure or fenced area at all times.
[3] Enclosures must be clean, dry, and odor-free, kept in a neat and sanitary condition
at all times, in a manner that will not disturb the use or enjoyment of neighboring
lots du…
DOMESTIC ANIMALS – Any companion animal or pet, including any cat, dog,
fish, rabbit, or reptile, normally maintained in or near the household of the owner or
person who cares for such animal. A domestic animal shall not include any farm
animals a…
§ 230-9.1 (A)(11)(g) Keeping domestic animals as pets shall be permitted, and no domestic
animals, except dogs or cats, shall be penned or housed within 15 feet of any lot line. § 230-9.1 (A)(11)(h) Keeping of farm animals is prohibited except for t…
[2] Chickens and ducks must be kept in an enclosure or fenced area at all times.
[3] Enclosures must be clean, dry, and odor-free, kept in a neat and sanitary condition
at all times, in a manner that will not disturb the use or enjoyment of neighb…
Section Two. Chapter 230, Section 230-4 “Terms Defined” of the Code of the Village of
Croton-on-Hudson is hereby amended as follows, with new matter underlined and deleted matter
struck through and in [brackets]:
DOMESTIC ANIMALS – Any companion a…
Section Three. Chapter 230, Section 230-9.1(A)(10) of the Code of the Village of Croton-on-
Hudson is hereby amended as follows, with new matter underlined and deleted matter struck
through and in [brackets]:
§230-9.1 A (10) (f) – [Keeping domestic…
§230-40 J. Keeping of Animals
(1) the keeping of domestic animals for individual domestic purposes or as pets, provided that no
domestic animals, except dogs or cats, shall be penned or housed within 50 feet of any lot line. (2) the keeping of chic…
(c) Chickens and ducks may not be permitted to roam free and must be kept in clean, dry
and secure enclosures or penned areas at all times. Enclosures and penned areas must be
maintained in an odor-free, neat and sanitary condition at all times and…
(d) Lots with any harbored farm animals other than chickens and ducks shall have
appropriate, secure physical fencing, with self-latching gates or doors, to prevent animals
from roaming beyond lot lines or otherwise become animals at large. (e) All…
432 Michaelian Office Building
148 Martine Avenue
White Plains, New York 10601 Telephone: (914) 995-4400 Website: westchestercountyny.gov
=== SOURCE ===
CURRENT CODE, Village of Croton-on-Hudson Chapter 230, Section 230…
Aug 19, 2026
Board Of Trustees
Hi. Thank you. My name is Nora Regis Audin. I'm on, Van Wyck Street. I am speaking today about the I know it's a to schedule the public hearing on Local Law 10, but I did wanna just address it now so that because I have concerns, and hopefully, we ca…
I just wanna call out that the, you know, part of the consent agenda, which is amazing news, is the flashing beacons that will hopefully be installed before the school year or soon after the school year starts on Maple Street, which is fantastic. I a…
Sep 2, 2026
Board Of Trustees
Yes, mayor. If I could, I just wanted to make a couple of quick comments. I wanna say, first and foremost, that the Village Board of Trustees has worked hard on local law introductory number 10. The purpose of which is to amend our zoning provisions …
To me, this became quite confusing about someone having, I believe it was pigeons. And my husband's father had homing pigeons for years and lived in Croton. It wasn't a problem. You know? It just life happens. I personally feel that it would be detri…
A wide sampling of verified residents in neighborhoods across the village agree that Croton should not become a beacon for pigeon flock operations. They cite already budding ecological concerns about the pigeons found or photographed this summer arou…
Hi. Good evening. Can everyone hear me? Yes. Good evening, members of the board, mayor Pugh. My name is Erica Loudoun Corwin, and I live at the dead end of Penfield Avenue in the house where I grew up. I'm speaking tonight because I I have some conce…
In this case, a redesign could have pleased all sides, but our mayor and deputy mayor, with less concern for other neighbors' backyards or street front in this case, ignored their pleas. And with Kathy Hochul's Let Them Build package, we have exempte…
So odd that you champion a 10 foot setback for an 800 square foot ADU, but asked for five times that for a 60 square foot chicken coop. Please make that difference make sense to me in the coming weeks. Thank you. Thank you.
Good evening. Pete Panzeca, 110 Old Post Road. I'm sure Tony's a nice guy. I don't know him, but I would not be happy if this statute which allowed Tony to enter neighborhood under this pretext of owning pigeons, were allowed to stand. Because you ne…
I heard a lot of concerns tonight and a lot of support, and I really appreciate for all your support. The concerns they have that if I wanted to get eggs and eat eggs, that I would keep chickens so that don't have to keep pigeons because they have a …
I think what people are afraid of is if you want a a a visual in your face representation of what pigeon mania could look like if these pigeons are not controlled is if you go to Tuckahoe Road in Central Avenue, there's a Dunkin' Donuts there. It use…
You don't allow chickens to go in somebody else's yard, and you regulate the number. If this gentleman I I have great sympathy for because it's, maybe we ought to call him Marlon Brando here as a witness. But if, if he if he can regulate the number, …
Matt Angelini, Cleveland Drive. Thank you, for everybody on the board for hearing us all out tonight. It's really impressive that you've let everybody take up all of your time. I just have two quick things to add. One on the public health issue that …
There's absolutely a change, and that is something that we need to consider while making this decision. Yes. It's only one coup right now. But if we pass this law and it's unregulated, and as the gentleman said earlier, where we don't have something …
If I were somebody that was building something to, let's say, house ducks, I'm gonna ask my neighbors, hey. What do you think if I start doing this? I need to take into consideration what my neighborhood is going to think about. Many things get done …
Lorraine Hansberry Coalition will be hosting a display of materials at the library. So more to come on that and the exact dates, but it's in the next couple of weeks. I just wanna reiterate my, appreciation for the folks that came out this evening fo…
1 “the Village Board has worked hard on Local Law Introductory No. 10, the
2 purpose of which is to amend our zoning provisions on Domestic Animals and
3 Farm Animals, If anyone had told us one year ago that in 2026 we…
34 Erica Laudon Corwin, Penfield Avenue, Croton, stated that not all birds are
35 considered fowl, while “bird” applies to any feathered warm blooded
36 vertebrate, the entire scientific class is a much narrower term use…
Village Board of Trustees
September 2, 2026
Page 6 1 Peter Panzica, 110 Old Post Road, Croton on Hudson, stated that some
2 neighbors testified tonight that the pigeons don't bother them, but pictures
3 don't…
Village Board of Trustees
September 2, 2026
Page 7 1 Matt Angelini, Cleveland Drive, Croton on Hudson, stated that when we are
2 talking about diseases that are spread by pigeons, the CDC cites that those
3 d…
24 Trustee Nicholson stated that Recreation programs are now up on our website
25 and available for registration and she is excited to see some new teen
26 programs, the Lorraine Hansberry Coalition will be hosting a dis…
Sep 8, 2026
Topics
It defines 'domestic animals' (household pets) and 'farm animals,' retires the code's 1930s-era fowl clause, permits chickens and ducks subject to lot-size-based limits, setbacks (25 feet from lot lines in the RA-5 and RB districts, 50 feet in other …
Sep 17, 2026
Board of Education
So actually this in the So Senor Pracoco has been a teacher in the district for ten years and this is the third time we've changed things. So when we first started it was brand new and she did much shorter sessions. And really, I'll be completely hon…
Sep 25, 2026
Topics
It defines 'domestic animals' (household pets) and 'farm animals,' retires the code's 1930s-era fowl clause, permits chickens and ducks subject to lot-size-based limits, setbacks (25 feet from lot lines in the RA-5 and RB districts, 50 feet in other …