Cold Spring homeowners could soon be allowed to keep backyard chickens under a proposed ordinance permitting up to six hens per household. The proposal, which would carve out an exception to the city's current ban on poultry within city limits, comes with a strict set of rules covering coop placement, permit limits, and restrictions on roosters and breeding.
The Cold Spring City Council is scheduled to meet Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. in Room 248 of the district education facility, where members will vote on the ordinance, according to KNSI. City staff have recommended the council approve the measure, which would allow homeowners in residential neighborhoods to keep chickens with a city permit — an exception to Cold Spring's existing city code that currently bans chickens and other poultry entirely. City Council Member Ryan Hennen has said the city's planning commission already reviewed and approved the ordinance, which includes coop material standards and setback rules meant to keep residential properties from functioning like agricultural land, as reported by WJON.
What the Ordinance Would Allow — and Ban
Under the draft rules, permitted homeowners could keep up to six hens, but roosters would be banned outright, a restriction Hennen tied to noise and breeding concerns, per WJON. Homes located in Cold Spring's shoreland district would be excluded from participating at all. The city plans to cap the program at no more than 10 permits issued per year, with each one-time permit costing $100.
Permit holders would be required to actually live at the home where the chickens are kept, and the permits would not transfer to a new owner if the house is sold. Coops and runs would need to sit in the backyard, at least 10 feet from property lines and 25 feet from neighboring houses, and would have to be designed to match the home's appearance as closely as possible. Hens would need to be locked inside their coops from sunset to sunrise, and the ordinance would ban both butchering and breeding chickens on the property.
City staff would retain the authority to inspect coops at any reasonable time, and Cold Spring could suspend or revoke a permit for violations. Keeping chickens without a permit would be classified as a petty misdemeanor. If the council approves the ordinance Wednesday, it would take effect once passed and published.
St. Cloud Rejected Similar Proposals Twice
Cold Spring's relatively smooth path toward approval stands in contrast to neighboring St. Cloud, which has rejected backyard chicken proposals twice in recent years. The St. Cloud City Council voted 5-1 in December 2024 to reject an ordinance that would have allowed property owners to keep up to four hens on lots of at least 6,000 square feet. Council Member Jeff Goerger cited public health concerns at the time, specifically pointing to bird flu as a reason for his opposition. When Council Member Scott Brodeen tried to put the issue back on the agenda in February 2026, the council voted 3-2 against reexamining it.
St. Cloud's planning commission had researched other cities' approaches before that rejection, evaluating Eagan's chicken ordinance in September 2024 as a potential model for single-family residential zoning, according to KNSI. Cold Spring's draft would allow up to six hens per household.
Poultry Health Resources
The Minnesota Department of Health can make personal protective equipment available to certain flock or herd owners.
