Zoning board rejects backyard chickens in Mason District

The Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals on Nov. 18 denied a special permit that would have allowed a Mason District homeowner to keep five chickens in his backyard. 

Afm Sohel Mahmud of 6807 Gouthier Road in the Bel Air neighborhood in the Falls Church got the chickens as pets for his 6-year-old daughter and to provide the family with fresh eggs.  

Fairfax County allows people to keep chickens by-right on a property that is at least two acres. Mahmud’s lot is just 7,364 square feet, so a hearing and ruling by the zoning board are required. 

The Zoning Ordinance prohibits any structures used for livestock and domestic fowl to be located no closer than 50 feet from any lot line, but allows the zoning board to approve exceptions. In Mahmud’s case, the chicken coop is just 20 feet from the rear fence. 

None of the zoning board members voted in favor of the special permit. Six voted against it, and one member was absent. 

Zoning board members cited odor and noise for their reasons for rejecting the permit, as well as the fact that the chicken coop is too close to the lot line. 

Related story: Annandale homeowner can keep his chickens

During the zoning board hearing, one neighbor said the permit should be rejected because of odor and noise. She has seen a fox circling the chicken coop causing the chickens to squawk. 

Another neighbor spoke in favor of the chickens, noting that there is no odor, that he enjoys having the chickens nearby, and that they “provide comfort and sustenance to the family during the pandemic.”  

The planning staff recommended that the permit be approved, with the condition that the waste be disposed of with the household’s regular trash, rather than composted.