Grover Beach, the only city in San Luis Obispo County that bans backyard chickens, might soon change its poultry policy.
Since 2024, the city has outlawed the keeping of all poultry, including turkey, ducks and geese. But on Monday, the Grover Beach City Council discussed reversing the ban, with some caveats.
The policy conversation kicked off in August, when Grover Beach residents Stephanie and Michael Lacalle raised the issue at a council meeting.
Michael Lacalle told the council how his family had recently started keeping backyard chickens.
“We got some eggs from our friend,” he told the council. “The first one that hatched, I swear it latched eyes with my daughter and she's been mama hen ever since.”
Lacalle said he hasn’t told his daughter yet that her pets are actually illegal, and asked the council to change the policy soon so his daughter doesn’t learn to “be secretly hiding her chickens.”
The Grover Beach City Council was receptive to the suggestion, and voted to pause enforcement on the ban.
At their last meeting, they discussed how to balance backyard chickens with residents’ desire for quiet and cleanliness.
Council members agreed the new policy should require poultry owners to keep their birds in coops at night that are at least 15 feet from the property line, but the council didn’t come to a consensus on the issue of roosters.
Council Member Jules Tuggle said she hopes to hear more input from residents “to make sure we're looking at it from all different angles” that allows for chickens and protects residents' rights to “peace and cleanliness.”
The council will still need to vote to approve a new ordinance to officially change the city’s poultry policy.
