Supervisors add setbacks to rooster ordinance By Joe Naiman

The county of San Diego’s rooster ordinance is being up­dated.  The changes add a setback of at least 50 feet from a property line, increase the setback from an adjacent residence from 50 to 150 feet, redefine the property size to exclude roadways, and provide a two-year amortization period for enclosures meeting current but not new standards.

A 3-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors vote July 10, with Bill Horn and Dianne Jacob ab­sent, approved the introduction and first reading of the ordi­nance amendments while a 4-0 vote July 24 with Jacob still re­covering from surgery approved the second reading and adop­tion. The ordinance changes will become effective August 23.

The rooster ordinance was created in 2011 as an attempt to combat cockfighting and in­cluded a limit on the number of roosters on a property. The ordinance defines a rooster as a male chicken six months age or older with full adult plum­age or which is capable of crowing.

The ordinance limits a prem­ise (including contiguous par­cels under common ownership) to one rooster for premises of less than half an acre, four roost­ers on premises between half an acre and one acre, six roosters on premises between one and five acres, and 20 roosters on prem­ises of more than five acres. Each individual rooster beyond the limit constitutes a separate violation of the ordinance, and any zoning with more restric­tive provisions on the number of roosters was retained.

The quantity limit exempts commercial poultry ranches whose primary purpose is to produce eggs or meat for human consumption, approved 4-H or FFA projects, private or public schools, and county or Humane Society animal shelters. (The omission of statutory protection for Grange projects was an over­sight. San Diego County had four Grange chapters when the original ordinance was adopted and now has only one active Grange chapter.

The ordinance is enforced on a complaint basis, and no Grange project has ever been cited to be in violation of the ordinance.

The rooster ordinance went into effect on January 1, 2012. Noise complaints from neigh­bors led to the 2018 updates regarding setbacks, and a defi­nition of net property size was added.