The bill would allow owners to have one goat per 0.3 hectares of land, one chicken or poultry per 0.05 hectares and one rabbit or other small animal per 0.5 hectares. This would require hygienic living conditions. “We have two 5-year-old pygora goats, they are a cross between pygmies and angora,” explained MJ Ebenhack. “We have three acres of land, and much of it is forested, and our neighbours will even allow Sadie and Warren to dig through their woods in the summer.” The law prohibits keeping persons, horses, mules, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, chickens, geese or other birds or animals, other than a dog or cat, within 500 feet of an inhabited dwelling. • House Bill 124 was introduced in the Ohio legislature this month to allow homeowners to keep small livestock on their properties and prohibit zoning authorities from regulating or banning small livestock, including goats, chickens and small chickens, and small animals such as rabbits. “I know several people in town who have goats and chickens,” McCartney said. “The Ohio Department of Agriculture has species-specific guidelines for the minimum space they need and safe housing requirements.” “I know there are a few people raising chickens and goats in town, but we don`t have many complaints,” he said, noting that as long as noise and smell aren`t an issue, he doesn`t see the need to ban animals. Urban and rural access to the benefits of raising small animals is being put to the test by the Ohio legislature this month as lawmakers consider a bill that would prohibit cities, municipalities and other zoning agencies from regulating or banning backyard chickens, goats and other small animals. “There are also illegal spiders all over my garden, as well as raccoons, skunks, deer and occasional squirrels,” he said. “I now feel it will be my civic duty to report this to the appropriate authorities.” Ebenhack said she and her husband, Ben, were interested in getting the goats because much of their property is steep and hilly, so mowing a grassy lawn would have been difficult. JANELLE PATTERSON The Marietta Times` MJ Ebenhack walks up her driveway from Colegate Drive to Marietta on Tuesday with her two 5-year-old pygora goats, Sadie, left, and Warren. Does an Ohio resident have the constitutional right to keep rabbits, goats, chickens, horses, cows, ducks, turkeys, geese or other poultry on his property? No, according to a recent decision of the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals. Even a municipal ordinance prohibiting the keeping of such animals does not violate the federal or state constitution.

This regulation authorizes and regulates the keeping of farm animals such as goats, pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, rabbits and bees. “I think I`m a proponent of that,” Marcus McCartney, an educator at Washington County`s Ohio State University Extension, told House Bill 124 on Tuesday. “You don`t want to exclude anyone from the possibility of enjoying an animal, whether it`s a 4-H child or adults in urban communities who want their own fresh eggs or goat fiber.” The harshest critics of the regulation are 4-H parents, who say the law would hit the heart of projects involving rabbits, chickens, pigs and goats. “If rabbits are now illegal in the city of Elyria, does that mean that at 4 a.m., when I go to work and see rabbits all over the neighborhood, I should call the police and report this illegal activity?” he asked. Amherst: You must have 5 acres or more to have farm animals. Within an hour, you must report to the authorities the escape of an exotic animal. Avon: No regulationAvon Lake: No regulationElyria: You must have 5 acres or more to keep farm animals. A new law passed Monday prohibits keeping horses, mules, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, chickens, geese or other chickens or animals, except a dog or cat, within 500 feet of an inhabited dwelling. The new law also prohibits: all venomous animals, including trapping snakes and spiders; monkeys, baboons and monkeys; Bear; Cheetah; Crocodiles; constrictor snakes six feet or more; Coyotes; wild roosters and other fighting birds; Hyenas; Jaguars; Leopards; Lions; Lynx; Foxes; Piranhafish, pumas, snow leopards, tigers, wolves and birds of prey. Lorain: The city prohibits wild animals or any carnivorous animal that can cause physical harm or death to humans, from lions and bears to ferrets. The city also prohibits farm animals used for meat or fiber, including cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, roosters, llamas or horses. North Ridgeville: Farm animals and exotic animals must be provided with appropriate conditions of detention and hygiene.

Oberlin: No animal is prohibited as long as it does not cause nuisance, health hazard or stench. Sheffield Lake: Information not available Sheriff`s Department (including all townships): No animals are prohibited, but exotic or farm animal shelters may be inspected by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Wellington: Within an hour, you must report to the authorities the escape of an animal that is not native to Ohio and could pose a risk of serious bodily injury to people or property. If you keep a snake, reptile or other exotic animal, you need to keep it safe. Source: Police Department, City Clerks or Mayor`s Office Because of Elyria`s new animal ordinance, this question isn`t as bizarre as it sounds: “If people respect your neighbours and their property, then there`s no problem,” McGilton added. Councillor Garry Gibbs, R-3rd Ward, said he thought the whole law was a mess and it should be thrown away. New Pet Regulations The revision of Columbus City Health Codes 221.05 AND 221.06 went into effect on December 13, 2016. A person may apply for a permit to keep certain animals under the jurisdiction of the Columbus City Board of Health under the City of Columbus Health Code 221.05. An application for animal approval is available from the health veterinarian`s office. The number and type of animals are regulated, so they can be limited. Public safety, public health, animal husbandry, cruelty and welfare, and other factors will be considered in the application process. He describes the parameters as small livestock units and says all animals are kept in a “comfortable and hygienic manner” and are kept more than 10 feet from adjacent property lines.

ELYRIA – Under a new ordinance on animals in the city, you can have a camel, but you cannot have a rabbit within 500 feet of another house. You can have a gecko, but you can`t have a spider. You can have a shark, but you can`t have a piranha. You can have a sea lion, but you can`t have a monkey. You can have a kinkajou, a brownish creature from South America, but you can`t have a chicken within 500 feet of another house. The adoption of a new law on 4. September, which bans various exotic animals and restricts farm animals, has been ridiculed by critics, including people who post information on websites. Gibbs encouraged 4-H participants to voice their views and even bring their pets to the 7 p.m. city council meeting.

Monday at the town hall. Szekely, who drafted the new law, said a little more input wouldn`t hurt. • Up to 20 chickens or other small chickens, without roosters. “He`s very attached to his lizard,” she said. “Even my great-aunt likes it, and she`s over 70. Under legislation currently under consideration at Ohio House, owners would still be limited in the number of small pets allowed on their residential properties — by the amount of space available. Does Elyria ban “the hare”, but allow elephants? “There are people who want something other than pet dogs,” she said. OHIO – Goats, chickens, rabbits and more could come to a yard near you.

Dedendra Schwarz, an employee of the store, is one such person. • The bill is now before the Ohio House Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development for review. Violations of the Act are punishable by a fine of up to $100. “I`m inclined to believe that if they can prove they had the animal before it goes into effect, there`s nothing we can do,” Shilling said. Their 8-year-old son Tyler owns an 18-inch Chinese water dragon, a lizard he named Albert Pujols after his favorite baseball player. Lizards are not listed as forbidden animals, and Schwarz hopes the council will keep it that way. Fox 19 reports that a new bill in Ohio aims to circumvent zoning regulations and allow owners to have small farm animals on their property that were not originally intended for farming. Another solution is to exempt 4-H or school projects from the law, he said. The Bedford case is not unusual, but it shows a continuing trend in conflicts related to animal keeping in urban areas. For the court`s opinion, see City of Bedford v. James L.

Deal, here. Above Colegate Drive in Marietta years ago, the Ebenhacks made sure their neighbors agreed with their furry friends before fencing off part of their property for their small livestock. Complaints about the law have been received since its adoption. McCartney said that currently in Belpre, city ordinances do not completely ban backyard cattle, but require a resident to obtain a permit to have one on their property. Exotic pet owners are also worried, but are less profiled, according to the manager of the Best-In-Pets pet store in North Abbe Road.