Chickens In The Neighborhood! New Missouri Law Allows Hens In HOAs

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — A new Missouri law taking effect August 28 will permit residents in a homeowners' association to keep chickens on their property.

The law stipulates that no deed restrictions or covenants can prohibit the ownership or pasturing of up to six chickens on properties with 2/10ths of an acre or larger. It does allow for some regulatory leeway however. And it only applies to homeowners' associations, not to municipalities or counties.

Della Miller, a spokesperson for the Four Seasons POA, confirmed that while the POA had internal rules banning poultry for the last 55 years, the law does not affect local ordinances.

"If you're within a municipality or a city that already regulates it, then that still stands," Miller said. "The Village of Four Seasons on Horseshoe Bend has an ordinance on no poultry, so if you're in the POA and you're in the Village, you still cannot have chickens."

The Four Seasons POA plans to review and implement new regulations in line with state guidelines. Miller noted that this update will impact all HOAs at the Lake as well.

"We can put in regulations like no roosters or no more than six chickens," Miller said. "We can also say what the chicken coop could look like, where it could be located, and we can have regulations on fences."

Miller said she opposed the law when it was just a bill, as a member of the Missouri Legislative Action Committee with the Community Associations Institute.

"We feel like the HOAs need to set those rules themselves," Miller said. "My argument with it is that if there's a significant number of owners that want a rule change, they have an avenue to do that. HOAs can change the regulations."