A PROPOSAL THAT WOULD ALLOW Ukiah residents to have animals like hens and rabbits on their properties without paying a fee and going through a Planning Commission review or hearing has received initial approval from the City Council. 

At its meeting this past Wednesday, the Ukiah City Council unanimously agreed to move the ordinance amendment forward for consideration at its next meeting. The council is expected to pass it on Sept. 3, according to the city’s Planning Services Division.

Under the current city code, residents who want to have any number of hens, rabbits, or beehives have to apply for a minor use permit from the city. A resident must have the application reviewed by Planning Department staff and the director, submit a public notice, attend a hearing and pay a $1,000 fee. 

According to a report from city staff, the proposal would allow residents to have backyard animals like hens and rabbits and to maintain beehives as long as they comply with what the city calls performance standards and would not have to apply for this permit.  

Some of the standards involve a maximum number of animals depending on the size of the property — six hens or rabbits per parcel of 40,000 square feet or less — and ensure that the animals are not treated inhumanely and do not make noise that negatively impacts nearby residences.

A new, cheaper type of license

Under the proposal, those that go beyond those standards would have to apply for an administrative use permit, a newly created license that city officials say will be a simpler process than the minor use permit. 

For a resident to receive an administrative use permit, they would have to submit an application to the city’s Community Development Department director and pay an application fee. The applicant would not be subjected to a Planning Commission review, public notice or hearing. 

While the fee for the proposed administrative use permit has not been put forth, it would be far less than the current $1,000 cost for the minor use permit, according to the Community Development Department. 

Councilmember Mari Rodin, a supporter of the proposed amendment, said Wednesday that the change could help residents follow city code more easily and obtain permits quickly. 

“I think it’s a very worthwhile change to make these processes easier for people, less onerous and fewer people breaking the law,” said Rodin during the meeting. “I support the effort.”

This story originally appeared in The Mendocino Voice.