Animal Right Development Code Amendment

The Planning Commission provided a positive recommendation on this item with the recommendation to remove allowing category 3 animals on 1/4 acre lots. This item will go to City Council on December 12th.

Lehi City proposes changes to allow more animal rights throughout the City. Below is a highlight of the changes.

2 Horses allowed on lots half an acre in size no matter what zone they are in.
2 Goats, sheep and pigs allowed on quarter acre lots
3 dogs (instead of 2) per residential lot or commercial parcel
The amount of animals is the number listed for each category instead of cumulative.

You can view the written changes under documents.

You can also ask a question or leave a comment below.

Lehi City proposes changes to allow more animal rights throughout the City. Below is a highlight of the changes.

2 Horses allowed on lots half an acre in size no matter what zone they are in.
2 Goats, sheep and pigs allowed on quarter acre lots
3 dogs (instead of 2) per residential lot or commercial parcel
The amount of animals is the number listed for each category instead of cumulative.

You can view the written changes under documents.

You can also ask a question or leave a comment below.

Ask a question to staff. You can submit a question here or contact staff directly using the information provided on the right side bar.

Share A few questions for you on the addition of goats, pigs, sheep, and llamas (I did read the attached documents first). Keep in mind, I grew up in rural Illinois around farm animals and my brother raises these animals. 1. What's the justification or reasoning for allowing pigs, goats, sheep, and llamas on a 1/4-acre lot? What do people want to do with these animals on their property? 2. Is there a demand from Lehi residents (more than a few people) to allow pigs, goats, sheep, and llamas on 1/4 acre? If so, how many requests have you received? 3. Within the framework of discussing permissible use on a 1/4-acre residential lot, classifying a pig and llama the same as a sheep and goat is a big stretch. A mature pig can exceed 700 lbs. A llama can be 400lbs. If this was to move forward, what has come of discussions separating out their requirements or adding provisions based on size? 4. Who will be paying for the cost to the city for documentation, complaint handling, code enforcement, etc.? If you expect to recoup it in permits, how much are the permits? What will the fines be? 5. Solid Fencing, Corrals, pens, etc. fall under conditions that "may be required". What will it take to change to solid fencing is a minimum requirement if you want any of those animals? When you're talking about pigs, residential fencing alone won't cut it. Pigs can be extremely destructive and are very smart. They like to rub up against fencing and root under it. On that note, it should be ensured that the fencing is the property owners and that they're not depending on fencing that is actually their neighbors. 6. Public nuisance - With farm animals comes flies and smells. I'm sure you've considered this. What was the outcome? Lehi residents haven't done well with farm smells and flies even when they knowingly moved in near a farm. A reason these animals end up restricted from residential areas is for nuisance issues. 7. Once you carve out setbacks and the house footprint, the grazing area isn't large enough for those animals (i.e., that amount of land cannot produce enough food for them.). What consideration has been given to culinary water usage, feed storage, etc.? With culinary water, should back flow preventers be required? 8. Similar to 7, with such a small amount of land as the amount of manure produced been considered? 9. Are there any breeding restrictions? 10. Are there any slaughter restrictions? 11. Are people allowed to walk these animals on or off a leash or are they restricted to the fenced/corralled areas in their own backyard? 12. Lot size restrictions - Do lots have to be >= 0.25 acre and 0.5 acre respectively, or will the City allow people to round to the second decimal or just be "close enough"? I ask this because as I'm sure you're aware, the number of houses that are actually 0.25 or greater is significantly smaller than the number of houses that say they're on 0.25 acre, but are actually anywhere between 0.22 and 0.24. Digging around online looking for why people have done this, I've mostly come across wanting mini versions of these animals (mini goats, mini pigs, etc.). That would be an entirely different discussion. I ran this past my brother who, with the exception of llamas, has all of these animals and many more, on plenty of acreage in rural Colorado. In his opinion, putting these animals on that small amount of land, with the ordinances you have in place is a disaster waiting to happen. on Facebook Share A few questions for you on the addition of goats, pigs, sheep, and llamas (I did read the attached documents first). Keep in mind, I grew up in rural Illinois around farm animals and my brother raises these animals. 1. What's the justification or reasoning for allowing pigs, goats, sheep, and llamas on a 1/4-acre lot? What do people want to do with these animals on their property? 2. Is there a demand from Lehi residents (more than a few people) to allow pigs, goats, sheep, and llamas on 1/4 acre? If so, how many requests have you received? 3. Within the framework of discussing permissible use on a 1/4-acre residential lot, classifying a pig and llama the same as a sheep and goat is a big stretch. A mature pig can exceed 700 lbs. A llama can be 400lbs. If this was to move forward, what has come of discussions separating out their requirements or adding provisions based on size? 4. Who will be paying for the cost to the city for documentation, complaint handling, code enforcement, etc.? If you expect to recoup it in permits, how much are the permits? What will the fines be? 5. Solid Fencing, Corrals, pens, etc. fall under conditions that "may be required". What will it take to change to solid fencing is a minimum requirement if you want any of those animals? When you're talking about pigs, residential fencing alone won't cut it. Pigs can be extremely destructive and are very smart. They like to rub up against fencing and root under it. On that note, it should be ensured that the fencing is the property owners and that they're not depending on fencing that is actually their neighbors. 6. Public nuisance - With farm animals comes flies and smells. I'm sure you've considered this. What was the outcome? Lehi residents haven't done well with farm smells and flies even when they knowingly moved in near a farm. A reason these animals end up restricted from residential areas is for nuisance issues. 7. Once you carve out setbacks and the house footprint, the grazing area isn't large enough for those animals (i.e., that amount of land cannot produce enough food for them.). What consideration has been given to culinary water usage, feed storage, etc.? With culinary water, should back flow preventers be required? 8. Similar to 7, with such a small amount of land as the amount of manure produced been considered? 9. Are there any breeding restrictions? 10. Are there any slaughter restrictions? 11. Are people allowed to walk these animals on or off a leash or are they restricted to the fenced/corralled areas in their own backyard? 12. Lot size restrictions - Do lots have to be >= 0.25 acre and 0.5 acre respectively, or will the City allow people to round to the second decimal or just be "close enough"? I ask this because as I'm sure you're aware, the number of houses that are actually 0.25 or greater is significantly smaller than the number of houses that say they're on 0.25 acre, but are actually anywhere between 0.22 and 0.24. Digging around online looking for why people have done this, I've mostly come across wanting mini versions of these animals (mini goats, mini pigs, etc.). That would be an entirely different discussion. I ran this past my brother who, with the exception of llamas, has all of these animals and many more, on plenty of acreage in rural Colorado. In his opinion, putting these animals on that small amount of land, with the ordinances you have in place is a disaster waiting to happen. on Twitter Share A few questions for you on the addition of goats, pigs, sheep, and llamas (I did read the attached documents first). Keep in mind, I grew up in rural Illinois around farm animals and my brother raises these animals. 1. What's the justification or reasoning for allowing pigs, goats, sheep, and llamas on a 1/4-acre lot? What do people want to do with these animals on their property? 2. Is there a demand from Lehi residents (more than a few people) to allow pigs, goats, sheep, and llamas on 1/4 acre? If so, how many requests have you received? 3. Within the framework of discussing permissible use on a 1/4-acre residential lot, classifying a pig and llama the same as a sheep and goat is a big stretch. A mature pig can exceed 700 lbs. A llama can be 400lbs. If this was to move forward, what has come of discussions separating out their requirements or adding provisions based on size? 4. Who will be paying for the cost to the city for documentation, complaint handling, code enforcement, etc.? If you expect to recoup it in permits, how much are the permits? What will the fines be? 5. Solid Fencing, Corrals, pens, etc. fall under conditions that "may be required". What will it take to change to solid fencing is a minimum requirement if you want any of those animals? When you're talking about pigs, residential fencing alone won't cut it. Pigs can be extremely destructive and are very smart. They like to rub up against fencing and root under it. On that note, it should be ensured that the fencing is the property owners and that they're not depending on fencing that is actually their neighbors. 6. Public nuisance - With farm animals comes flies and smells. I'm sure you've considered this. What was the outcome? Lehi residents haven't done well with farm smells and flies even when they knowingly moved in near a farm. A reason these animals end up restricted from residential areas is for nuisance issues. 7. Once you carve out setbacks and the house footprint, the grazing area isn't large enough for those animals (i.e., that amount of land cannot produce enough food for them.). What consideration has been given to culinary water usage, feed storage, etc.? With culinary water, should back flow preventers be required? 8. Similar to 7, with such a small amount of land as the amount of manure produced been considered? 9. Are there any breeding restrictions? 10. Are there any slaughter restrictions? 11. Are people allowed to walk these animals on or off a leash or are they restricted to the fenced/corralled areas in their own backyard? 12. Lot size restrictions - Do lots have to be >= 0.25 acre and 0.5 acre respectively, or will the City allow people to round to the second decimal or just be "close enough"? I ask this because as I'm sure you're aware, the number of houses that are actually 0.25 or greater is significantly smaller than the number of houses that say they're on 0.25 acre, but are actually anywhere between 0.22 and 0.24. Digging around online looking for why people have done this, I've mostly come across wanting mini versions of these animals (mini goats, mini pigs, etc.). That would be an entirely different discussion. I ran this past my brother who, with the exception of llamas, has all of these animals and many more, on plenty of acreage in rural Colorado. In his opinion, putting these animals on that small amount of land, with the ordinances you have in place is a disaster waiting to happen. on Linkedin Email A few questions for you on the addition of goats, pigs, sheep, and llamas (I did read the attached documents first). Keep in mind, I grew up in rural Illinois around farm animals and my brother raises these animals. 1. What's the justification or reasoning for allowing pigs, goats, sheep, and llamas on a 1/4-acre lot? What do people want to do with these animals on their property? 2. Is there a demand from Lehi residents (more than a few people) to allow pigs, goats, sheep, and llamas on 1/4 acre? If so, how many requests have you received? 3. Within the framework of discussing permissible use on a 1/4-acre residential lot, classifying a pig and llama the same as a sheep and goat is a big stretch. A mature pig can exceed 700 lbs. A llama can be 400lbs. If this was to move forward, what has come of discussions separating out their requirements or adding provisions based on size? 4. Who will be paying for the cost to the city for documentation, complaint handling, code enforcement, etc.? If you expect to recoup it in permits, how much are the permits? What will the fines be? 5. Solid Fencing, Corrals, pens, etc. fall under conditions that "may be required". What will it take to change to solid fencing is a minimum requirement if you want any of those animals? When you're talking about pigs, residential fencing alone won't cut it. Pigs can be extremely destructive and are very smart. They like to rub up against fencing and root under it. On that note, it should be ensured that the fencing is the property owners and that they're not depending on fencing that is actually their neighbors. 6. Public nuisance - With farm animals comes flies and smells. I'm sure you've considered this. What was the outcome? Lehi residents haven't done well with farm smells and flies even when they knowingly moved in near a farm. A reason these animals end up restricted from residential areas is for nuisance issues. 7. Once you carve out setbacks and the house footprint, the grazing area isn't large enough for those animals (i.e., that amount of land cannot produce enough food for them.). What consideration has been given to culinary water usage, feed storage, etc.? With culinary water, should back flow preventers be required? 8. Similar to 7, with such a small amount of land as the amount of manure produced been considered? 9. Are there any breeding restrictions? 10. Are there any slaughter restrictions? 11. Are people allowed to walk these animals on or off a leash or are they restricted to the fenced/corralled areas in their own backyard? 12. Lot size restrictions - Do lots have to be >= 0.25 acre and 0.5 acre respectively, or will the City allow people to round to the second decimal or just be "close enough"? I ask this because as I'm sure you're aware, the number of houses that are actually 0.25 or greater is significantly smaller than the number of houses that say they're on 0.25 acre, but are actually anywhere between 0.22 and 0.24. Digging around online looking for why people have done this, I've mostly come across wanting mini versions of these animals (mini goats, mini pigs, etc.). That would be an entirely different discussion. I ran this past my brother who, with the exception of llamas, has all of these animals and many more, on plenty of acreage in rural Colorado. In his opinion, putting these animals on that small amount of land, with the ordinances you have in place is a disaster waiting to happen. link

A few questions for you on the addition of goats, pigs, sheep, and llamas (I did read the attached documents first). Keep in mind, I grew up in rural Illinois around farm animals and my brother raises these animals. 1. What's the justification or reasoning for allowing pigs, goats, sheep, and llamas on a 1/4-acre lot? What do people want to do with these animals on their property? 2. Is there a demand from Lehi residents (more than a few people) to allow pigs, goats, sheep, and llamas on 1/4 acre? If so, how many requests have you received? 3. Within the framework of discussing permissible use on a 1/4-acre residential lot, classifying a pig and llama the same as a sheep and goat is a big stretch. A mature pig can exceed 700 lbs. A llama can be 400lbs. If this was to move forward, what has come of discussions separating out their requirements or adding provisions based on size? 4. Who will be paying for the cost to the city for documentation, complaint handling, code enforcement, etc.? If you expect to recoup it in permits, how much are the permits? What will the fines be? 5. Solid Fencing, Corrals, pens, etc. fall under conditions that "may be required". What will it take to change to solid fencing is a minimum requirement if you want any of those animals? When you're talking about pigs, residential fencing alone won't cut it. Pigs can be extremely destructive and are very smart. They like to rub up against fencing and root under it. On that note, it should be ensured that the fencing is the property owners and that they're not depending on fencing that is actually their neighbors. 6. Public nuisance - With farm animals comes flies and smells. I'm sure you've considered this. What was the outcome? Lehi residents haven't done well with farm smells and flies even when they knowingly moved in near a farm. A reason these animals end up restricted from residential areas is for nuisance issues. 7. Once you carve out setbacks and the house footprint, the grazing area isn't large enough for those animals (i.e., that amount of land cannot produce enough food for them.). What consideration has been given to culinary water usage, feed storage, etc.? With culinary water, should back flow preventers be required? 8. Similar to 7, with such a small amount of land as the amount of manure produced been considered? 9. Are there any breeding restrictions? 10. Are there any slaughter restrictions? 11. Are people allowed to walk these animals on or off a leash or are they restricted to the fenced/corralled areas in their own backyard? 12. Lot size restrictions - Do lots have to be >= 0.25 acre and 0.5 acre respectively, or will the City allow people to round to the second decimal or just be "close enough"? I ask this because as I'm sure you're aware, the number of houses that are actually 0.25 or greater is significantly smaller than the number of houses that say they're on 0.25 acre, but are actually anywhere between 0.22 and 0.24. Digging around online looking for why people have done this, I've mostly come across wanting mini versions of these animals (mini goats, mini pigs, etc.). That would be an entirely different discussion. I ran this past my brother who, with the exception of llamas, has all of these animals and many more, on plenty of acreage in rural Colorado. In his opinion, putting these animals on that small amount of land, with the ordinances you have in place is a disaster waiting to happen.

Rudabaugh asked about 1 year ago

Thank you Rudabaugh, we will share these questions with the Planning Commission to consider.

To answer some of your questions. We have not received many requests on these smaller lots. We assume by opening it up on smaller lots, there will be a few people who take advantage of the opportunity and many who will not.

We also are aware of the many potential challenges with allowing these small farm animals on smaller lots. However, as we discussed this with the Code Enforcement Officer, we all felt that the benefits outweigh the negative and we are aware of people who already have these animals on smaller lots (in violation of the Code).
We do mostly get requests for pygmy goats and other small breed animals so we assume that is what most people would have.

Thanks again for sharing your concerns, and we will pass them on to the Planning Commission.

Animal Right Development Code Amendment

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