With the option to raise urban hens on residential properties becoming increasingly popular, residents of Blackfalds have approached Council to investigate allowing urban hens (4 to 6 female hens) for egg production within the Town.

In response, Council is considering a 2-year pilot program, depending on the results from this survey.
It is important to note that at the end of this 2-year urban hen pilot program, Council may decide to extend the program indefinitely or may not extend it at all

The pilot program will have the following requirements:

  • An urban hen license will cost approximately $50 to $100 annually. This permit fee will help offset the additional administration and enforcement resources required; however, this fee will likely not cover this effort completely.
  • A maximum number of urban hen licenses issued by the Town would be approximately 25 under this 2-year pilot program.
  • Coop (a structure where hens will be kept) size will be capped at under 100 sq. ft. to avoid needing a Development and Building Permit.
  • A Premise Identification Number (PID), a provincial requirement to ensure the flock is registered on a provincial database, would be required.
  • Applicants must notify neighbouring properties within 150 metres of the proposed hen location in writing before applying to the Town. For the urban hen application to be successful, a minimum neighbour approval of 75% would be required.
  • A minimum property size of 5,000 sq. ft will be required to apply.
  • If renting, tenants must have the landowner’s written permission.
  • Any complaints received would be the urban hen license holder’s responsibility to communicate with the complaining party to rectify. Note that a known impact to neighbours is that dog barking may occur because of the presence of hens.
  • The Town will revoke an urban hen license if there are any valid complaints regarding smell, the well-being of hens, predators becoming more prevalent due to the hens, slaughtering hens, or the sale of eggs. 

Please take a few minutes to complete this survey and let us know what you think about Urban Hens in Blackfalds : bit.ly/3lqlSbw