BERTRAND TOWNSHIP – ORDINANCE ADOPTION – KEEPING OF ANIMALS

BERTRAND TOWNSHIP
ORDINANCE NO. 221013B

At a regular meeting of the Bertrand Township Board held at the Bertrand Township Hall on the 13th day of October , 2022, at 7:00 p.m. EST.

PRESENT: Hicks, Kuhn, Payton, Vite, Zelmer

ABSENT: None
The following ordinance was offered by Trustee Vite and supported by Trustee Payton :
AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND SECTION 3.22
OF THE BERTRAND TOWNSHIP ZONING ORDINANCE
Section 1, Section 3.22 of the Bertrand Township Zoning Ordinance is amended as follows definition, to be inserted in alphabetical order, and to read as follows:
Keeping of Animals
General Requirements
1. No more than a combined total of six (6) adult cats or dogs six (6) months of age or older shall be kept or housed in a dwelling unit.
2. Animals kept for livestock must be completely enclosed in a fenced area that is of suitable height and construction to contain the animals, subject to the regulations of Section 3.13.
3. All applicable General Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices (GAAMPS) must be followed.
4. Any proposed shelter shown on the site must be at minimum a rigid structure, designed to withstand normal wind and snow loads. Accessory buildings shall meet all applicable building codes.
Animal Units:
1. There shall be a limit on the keeping and raising of domestic animals in the R-1 and R-2 Districts according to the number of animal units that may be kept on a single parcel or lot or upon contiguous parcels under the same ownership. For the purposes of this Section, animal units shall be determined by the following table:
Animal Units
Animal Animal Unit Equivalent No. of Animals Per Animal Unit
Slaughter or Feeder Cattle/Buffalo 1 1
Horses 1 1
Horses (small pony or miniature; 34” or less at withers) 0.2 5
Swine (over 55 lbs.)/Ostrich 0.4 3
Mature swine under 55 lbs. 0.1 10
Goat/Sheep/Llama/Alpaca 0.1 10
Turkeys 0.018 55
Laying hens and broilers 0.01 100
Rabbits 0.02 50
Other livestock Average mature animal weight divided by 1,000
AG and RR Districts are exempt from these restrictions.
2. Animals shall not be counted towards animal units until they are weaned.
Table of Standards for Keeping Livestock–Small-scale
Minimum # of acres 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 or greater
Maximum Number of Animal Units Allowed AG and RR Districts
2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Residential Districts (R-1 and R-2)
.5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
3. On parcels in the R1 and R2 District that are less than two (2) acres, up to ten (10) chickens may be kept, provided that the following standards are met:
a. Roosters shall be prohibited.
b. Chickens shall be provided a fully enclosed shelter located within the rear or side yard. Such shelter shall meet accessory structure setbacks.
c. This Section shall not prohibit the keeping of small domestic animals or livestock for those participating in local youth fairs.

Section 2. Severability. The provisions of this ordinance are hereby declared to be severable, and if any clause, sentence, word, section, or provision is declared void or unenforceable for any reason by any court of competent jurisdiction, it shall not affect any portion of this ordinance other than said part or portion thereof.

Section 3, Effective Date. This ordinance shall be effective seven (7) days after the publication of a summary of its provisions in a local newspaper of general circulation in the Township.

AYES: Hicks, Kuhn, Payton, Vite, Zelmer
NAYS: None
ORDINANCE DECLARED ADOPTED.

_________________________________
Don Vite
Bertrand Township Clerk

I, DON VITE, duly elected Clerk in and for the Charter Township of Bertrand, Berrien County Michigan, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and complete copy of an Ordinance adopted by the Township Board of Trustees, Bertrand Township, at a regular meeting held on the 13th day of October, 2022, and I further certify that public notice of such meeting was given as provided by law.

_________________________________
Don Vite
Bertrand Township Clerk