Evans Development News

City Council Considers Revisions to Animal Regulations, Leans Towards Eliminating Variance Process

The city council reviewed current animal regulations in Title Six of the Evans Municipal Code and discussed potential amendments. The existing ordinance covers household animal limits, nuisance animals, animal welfare, animals at large, and dangerous animals. Evans is unique in Weld County for having a formal variance process allowing residents to request exceptions to established animal limits, which is a case-by-case review by the council. The council leaned towards eliminating this variance process, favoring fixed limits for pets to align with most other municipalities. Options discussed included maintaining the current ordinance (Option 1), establishing fixed limits for dogs, cats, and fowl while eliminating the variance (Option 2), and a more comprehensive species-specific approach (Option 3). The council expressed a preference for a hybrid approach, generally favoring Option 2 with some elements of Option 3, and agreed to eliminate the variance process. Key discussions also revolved around defining 'pet animals' versus 'food animals,' regulating roosters, and considering lot sizes and zoning for certain animals like chickens and rabbits. The council reached a consensus to move forward with a combined limit of four pet animals (dogs and cats), with no more than four dogs, and a separate limit for hens, with other animal regulations to be addressed through zoning. The council also agreed to eliminate roosters and to not specifically regulate common household pets like fish.