Solar farm, backyard chicken regulations go into effect in Hempfield

Hempfield residents now have two new rulescovering very different topics — solar power generation and poultry.

Supervisors approved the ordinances on keeping chickens and on solar energy systems at a meeting in late May.

The regulations set specifics for where solar farms can be located and allow backyard chickens in some residential areas with restrictions, according to director of planning and zoning Patrick Karnash.

“It’s something that went through six months or more of process for us, as far as the ordinances went,” said township manager Aaron Siko. “The backyard chicken ordinance received a good bit of public support, with a lot of residents attending the meetings and trying to advocate for that.”

Karnash said previous backyard chicken rules only allowed for poultry to be kept in agricultural or rural residential areas. The new rules allow chickens in the suburban residential, corridor residential and village residential zones.

“We had a pretty large group that came out and spoke, and had done so for a while, and we also looked around at neighboring communities who over the past few years have enacted ordinances to allow the same thing,” Karnash said. “Ultimately, the supervisors decided the ordinance we crafted was one that made sense for Hempfield.”

Rules restrict where the chickens can be kept on a property. They’re not allowed in the front yard of a home and must be set back at least 25 feet from any side or rear yard and 50 feet from any existing dwelling on adjacent properties.

The number of chickens allowed on a property corresponds with the size of the lot. A minimum of ½ of an acre is required for a coop of four hens. An acre lot is allowed six hens, and 5 acres could contain 12 hens.

A $100 township permit is required to keep chickens. A rooster cannot be kept on a property less than 10 acres in size and chickens must be for personal use only.

“If they’re kept in residential areas, you should not be selling eggs,” Karnash said.

Solar rules

The solar ordinance specifies where solar farms can be placed in the township. Hempfield already has two solar farms, one along the Amos K. Hutchinson Highway and another on Hunker-Waltz Mill Road. The regulations would apply to any new solar farms.

The ordinance adds a use category for solar farms, which did not previously exist in the zoning code.

“We didn’t really have any regulations in the past with regards to how they went in, so now we’re treating a solar farm like any other use in our zoning ordinance,” Karnash said.

Solar farms are now allowed in regional commercial, heavy industrial, light industrial, agricultural and institutional zoning districts. They must be set back 150 feet from all property lines and be surrounded by an 8-foot fence.

“You obviously don’t want a solar farm in the middle of a neighborhood, where there may be kids running around,” Karnash said. “In the end, solar has been allowed residentially forever, as an alternate form of electricity. We just firmed up some of the wording in the ordinance that provides safety for neighbors, safety for the homeowner, and inputs some commonsense standards … to make sure we are protecting everybody from a safety standpoint.”