Grover Beach will discuss easing poultry ban in October

Backyard chicken keepers in Grover Beach got a reprieve last month — and a bigger decision could be coming this fall. On Sept. 14, the Grover Beach City Council approved a temporary stay on enforcing code violations against residents who keep chickens, ducks, turkeys and other domesticated poultry on their properties, and the council is scheduled to take up the broader question of loosening the city's poultry ban at a discussion set for Oct. 26, according to New Times SLO.

For Atascadero readers, the story is a reminder of how differently the 805 region's cities treat backyard flocks — and how a couple of persistent residents can put a local ordinance back on the agenda.

How Grover Beach Got Here

Grover Beach has prohibited residents from keeping poultry since the City Council adopted that rule in 2024, in an effort to make its animal regulations more consistent with San Luis Obispo County's, New Times reported. According to one resident who pushed for the change, Grover Beach is currently the only city in SLO County that doesn't allow it.

The reconsideration began at the Aug. 24 City Council meeting, when residents Michael and Stephanie Lacalle requested a change. Stephanie Lacalle told council members she was advocating for "a sensible modern ordinance that protects our neighborhoods," proposing a balanced policy that would strictly prohibit roosters to prevent noise, limit flock size, and mandate setback rules so coops are kept clean and away from property lines.

Michael Lacalle framed the issue in more personal terms, saying fresh eggs from friends' coops had alleviated headaches his wife experienced related to a recently discovered egg allergy, and that raising chickens had given the couple's children "a sense of responsibility and a sense of connection."

Mayor Kassi Dee, for her part, signaled early sympathy. "We're pro chickens," she said with a laugh at an earlier council meeting when the proposal was first floated, according to New Times.

Enforcement Is Now on Hold

Until the council acts, locals with poultry can rest easy. The enforcement stay approved Sept. 14 remains in effect until the City Council adopts a new ordinance, City Manager Matthew Bronson told New Times — and it applies to all poultry, not just chickens.

Bronson added an important caveat: the stay does not mean a property may keep or harbor any animal that would otherwise be subject to nuisance abatement. In other words, if a flock creates a genuine nuisance problem, the city still has tools to respond.

The stakes are not theoretical. Grover Beach has three open code compliance cases related to keeping hens at separate residential properties, and there have been 12 such cases since the poultry ban took effect. Bronson described the city's general approach as seeking voluntary compliance: it begins with a courtesy letter alerting the responsible person to the complaint and the ban, escalates to a notice of violation if the birds aren't removed within an agreed timeframe, and can proceed to an administrative citation if the violation persists.

Why the Ban Exists

Bronson told New Times that common concerns about noise, odor, flies, and rodents influenced the 2024 decision to ban keeping poultry. He declined to compare policies in other cities, but noted that Grover Beach is more compact, with smaller lot sizes than other cities and rural communities — making chicken-keeping more challenging and potentially generating more nuisance violations.

So far, Bronson said, the city has not heard from residents other than the Lacalles about the proposal to tweak the prohibition. Whether the broader public weighs in as the Oct. 26 discussion approaches could shape the outcome.

What It Means for Atascadero and the North County

Atascadero residents watching from the north end of the county may find the debate familiar. Backyard chicken ordinances vary widely across the 805 region, with larger lots and more rural character in North County cities generally making small flocks less contentious than in dense coastal neighborhoods. Grover Beach's experience illustrates the friction that can arise when a city aligns its animal rules with county standards while some residents want a more permissive, but still regulated, approach.

The Lacalles' proposed framework — no roosters, capped flock sizes, and coop setback requirements — mirrors the middle-ground approach many California cities have adopted, and it's the kind of model Atascadero policymakers and hobbyists alike often point to when local animal rules come up for review.

What Comes Next

The Grover Beach City Council's Oct. 26 discussion is the key date to watch. If councilmembers direct staff to draft a new ordinance, the change would still require formal adoption — with the enforcement freeze continuing in the meantime. If they decline, the 2024 ban would stand and enforcement could resume.

Either way, the three open code cases and the dozen-plus enforcement actions since the ban took effect suggest the issue won't simply disappear. As Michael Lacalle told the council, his family found out too late that the city's rules barred the birds his children had grown attached to — and he's hoping the city changes that.

805.life will continue to follow the Oct. 26 discussion and its implications for backyard-flock policy across the Central Coast.