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Developing Regulations for Keeping Urban Chickens
2015by: Jacquie JacobThis article from Cooperative Extension provides recommendations on developing regulations for urban chickens. -
The ABCs of Urban Agriculture
2015This urban agriculture guide from Somerville, MA, promotes best emerging practices and provides the forms required for urban agriculture in the city. -
Suggestions for Ordinances Allowing Backyard Poultry
2010by: Darrin Karcher, Paul Wylie, R.M. FultonThis bulletin lists recommendations for backyard chicken ordinances that address animal welfare, neighbor annoyance concerns, and environmental impacts. -
Model Beekeeping Ordinance for Florida (Local and Municipal) Governments
n.d.This model ordinance was developed by the Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida to regulate the keeping of honey bees. -
Model Beekeeping Ordinance
2007This model beekeeping ordinance was prepared by the Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Association. -
Of Backyard Chickens and Front Yard Gardens: The Conflict Between Local Governments and Locavores
University of Maine Law School Digital Commons, 2012by: Sarah SchindlerThis article explores justifications for the replacement of proscriptive urban agriculture bans with new prescriptive and permissive urban agriculture policies and regulations. -
Regulating Backyard Slaughter: Strategies and Gaps in Municipal Livestock Ordinances
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development 6(1): 33–48, 2015by: Jennifer BlechaThis article examines the animal policies in 22 U.S. cities and identifies five approaches to governing backyard slaughter. -
Reimagining the Food System, the Economy, and Urban Life: New Urban Chicken-Keepers in U.S. Cities
Urban Geography 35(1): 86–108, January 2014by: Jennifer Blecha, Helga LeitnerThis article offers a study of urban chicken-keepers in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, and describes the benefits that these residents feel they are gaining by keeping chickens. -
Non-Commercial Keeping of Bees, Chickens, and Goats
2016by: Travis Carbaugh, Shaun FlynnThis student paper examines existing municipal efforts to regulate backyard bee, chicken, and goat keeping and proposes a model ordinance. -
Urban Livestock Ownership, Management, and Regulation in the United States: An Exploratory Survey and Research Agenda
Portland State Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations, 2014by: Nathan McClintock, Esperanza Pallana, Heather WootenThis report describes the findings of a survey of 134 urban livestock owners in 48 cities to determine their motivations, management practices, and compliance with local ordinances. -
Residential Urban Chicken Keeping: An Examination of 25 Cities
2008by: Kt LabadieThis student report analyzes 25 chicken ordinances from across the U.S. and reveals trends in urban chicken-keeping regulations. -
Guidance and Recommendations for Connecticut Municipal Zoning Regulations and Ordinances for Livestock
June 2012by: Eastern Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development Area, Inc.This report offers guidance to Connecticut municipalities in drafting land use regulations related to livestock. -
Welcoming Animals Back to the City: Navigating the Tensions of Urban Livestock Through Municipal Ordinances
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development 2(2): 1–23, 2012by: William ButlerThis article studies ordinances from 22 U.S. cities that have recently revised their codes and analyzes how these cities regulate urban livestock. -
Illegal Fowl: A Survey of Municipal Laws Relating to Backyard Poultry and a Model Ordinance for Regulating City Chickens
42 Environmental Law Reporter 10888, 2012by: Jaime BouvierThis article reports on municipal chicken-keeping ordinances in the 100 largest U.S. cities and offers a model ordinances for use by municipalities. -
Feeding the Locavores, One Chicken at a Time: Regulating Backyard Chickens
2011 Zoning and Planning Law Report, Vol. 34, No. 3, p. 1; Albany Law School Research Paper No. 46; Touro Law Center Legal Studies Research Paper Seriesby: Patricia SalkinThis article examines federal and state government regulation, nuisance law and restrictive covenants, and zoning and other local controls used to regulate backyard chickens. -
Honey, It’s all the Buzz: Regulating Neighborhood Bee Hives
Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review 39: 55, 2011; Albany Law School Research Paper No. 19 of 2011–2012.by: Patricia SalkinThis article reviews practical regulations that promote backyard beekeeping while maximizing its benefits and minimizing its potential harm. -
Zoning Guidelines for Permitting Domestic Livestock Uses
2004This report analyzes the potential impacts of keeping livestock in residential areas and provides a list of model zoning definitions and specific standards. -
Urban Chicken Ownership in Four U.S. Cities
2010by: USDAThis USDA report studied the keeping of backyard chickens in four U.S. metro areas. -
Cary, NC, Code of Ordinances
Updated June 2021These regulations belong to the Group Housing and Urban Livestock collections. -
Tampa, FL, Code of Ordinances
Updated July 2022This regulation belongs to the Active Transportation, Biophilic Planning, and Urban Livestock collections. -
Tucson, AZ, Codified Ordinances
Updated July 2022The city's Codified Ordinances belongs to the Biophilic Planning, Content-Neutral Sign Regulation, Downtown Revitalization, Historic Preservation, Marijuana-Related Uses, Scenic View Protection, Solar Energy, Urban Heat Resilience, and Urban Livestock collections. -
Issaquah, WA, Municipal Code
Updated August 2019This collection belongs to the Green Building, Solar Energy, and Urban Livestock collections. -
Cedar Rapids, IA, Municipal Code
Updated January 2019This regulation belongs to the Historic Preservation, Solar Energy, and Urban Livestock collections. -
Lakewood, CO, Zoning Ordinance
Updated July 2019These regulations belong to the Solar Energy and Urban Livestock collections. -
Amherst Town, NY, Farmland Protection & Agricultural Development Plan
Adopted June 2021This functional plan presents strategies for farmland protection and agricultural development. -
Buncombe County, NC, Farmland Protection Plan
Updated June 2020This functional plan provides recommendations to help protect prime farmland and support the agricultural sector in Buncombe County, recognizing that while the county has successfully preserved farmland over the years, it has experienced a decline in farm economic activity. -
Orange County, NY, Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan
Adopted January 2015This functional plan provides strategies to guide the county's agricultural and farmland protection efforts. -
Greenwich Township, NJ, Farmland Preservation Plan Element
Adopted January 2011This functional plan addresses farmland preservation within the jurisdiction. -
Oneida County, NY, Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan
Adopted June 2017This functional plan presents goals and strategies for agricultural and farmland protection within the county. -
Combating the Climate Crisis Through Conservation
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, July 10, 2020This blog post discusses the changes in two of the country's land conservation programs under the Agriculture Resilience Act and how these changes can help address climate change concerns in working farmland. -
Defining the Role of Conservation in Agricultural Conservation Easements
Ecology Law Quarterly, 44(3): 627-680, December 2017by: Jess PhelpsThis article addresses the conflicts between agricultural conservation easements and farmers' needs to adjust future agricultural practices and business conditions. -
Preserving and Promoting Agricultural Activities in the Peri-Urban Space
University of Manitoba Press, March 2017by: Nicolas BrunetThis article discusses the preservation of agricultural land and agricultural activities in areas that are subject to the pressures of urban development. -
Farms Under Threat: The State of the States
May 2020This interactive map provides information on the status of agricultural land in the United States. -
A Brief Guide to the Impacts of Climate Change on Food Production
Yale Climate Connections, September 18, 2019by: Daisy SimmonsThis blog post explores the impacts of climate change on agricultural production and land. -
Climate Change and Agriculture: A Perfect Storm in Farm Country
The Union of Concerned Scientists, March 20, 2019This blog post explores the impacts that the combination of climate change and inadequate farming practices has on the agriculture industry. -
Farmland Protection Policy Act
June 2021This fact sheet gives an overview of the Farmland Protection Policy Act (FPPA), which is part of the 1981 Farm Bill and addresses the need to minimize the degree to which federal projects contribute to the conversion of farmland to other uses. -
Protecting California Farmland and Ranchland
May 2020This fact sheet gives an overview of California's Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC), a program established to help protect the state farmland and ranchland. -
Whitman County, WA, Code of Ordinances
Updated April 2021The county's zoning code addresses farmland protection. -
West Lampeter, PA, Municipal Code
Updated November 2020The township’s zoning ordinance addresses farmland protection. -
Smart Solar Siting Principles and Examples of Land Use Laws that Support Renewable Energy While Protecting Farmland
May 2019This briefing paper is designed to help planners draft land-use and development regulations that balance solar development and farmland preservation goals. -
Climate Change and Land
2019by: Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Hans-Otto Pörtner, Jim SkeaThis report addresses the impacts of climate change on land, including the main challenges related to land-use change: land degradation, increased desertification, and food security. -
California Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs
March 2021by: Kayla DonovanThis report explores and compares some of California's purchase of agricultural conservation easement (PACE) programs, all efforts to preserve farmland in the state. -
Smart Solar Siting for New England
September 2020This briefing paper is designed to help local officials and planners to protect farmland while encouraging solar energy development. -
An Analysis of the Economic Impact of Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program
September 2019by: Tom DanielsThis report sought to understand the impacts Pennsylvania's long-standing farmland preservation programs have on the agricultural industry and the state's and counties' economies. -
Waseca, MN, Code of Ordinances
Updated November 2020The city’s subdivision ordinance addresses farmland protection. -
Benefits of Farmland Conservation in California
2015This briefing paper explores the benefits that farmland preservation efforts in California have to both society and the environment. -
Shrewsbury, PA, Zoning Ordinance
Updated October 2021The township’s zoning code addresses farmland protection through farm-friendly zoning provisions, including transfer of development rights and sliding-scale zoning. -
Surry County, VA, Code of Ordinances
Updated July 2021The county’s zoning ordinance addresses farmland protection. -
Sussex County, DE, County Code
Updated September 2021The county’s subdivision ordinance addresses agricultural protections for farmland. -
Durham County, NC, Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Plan
Adopted December 2009This functional plan addresses the emergence of a diverse small farm sector focused on local marketing opportunities and seeks to protect and promote farming opportunities to meet local market demand.