A homeowner association in Missouri has filed a lawsuit seeking to nullify a new state law that allows more residents to raise chickens in their backyard. The Four Seasons Lakesites Property Owners Association argues that the law violates the Missouri Constitution by combining unrelated provisions into one bill and failing to accurately reflect the scope of the measure. The law, set to go into effect on Wednesday, allows homeowners to pasture up to six chickens per every two-tenths of an acre by prohibiting bans in covenants, deed restrictions, or other agreements. While associations can still enforce rules regarding backyard birds, they cannot completely prohibit them. Supporters of the law argue that it will accommodate a growing interest in local food and address rising egg prices at the grocery store. This move towards residential neighborhood chicken farming follows a trend in other municipalities and counties in the region that have already approved similar regulations. The legislation, known as House Bill 2062, has sparked controversy and legal challenges from property owners associations like the one in Four Seasons Lakesites. The outcome of the lawsuit will determine the fate of backyard chicken farming in Missouri and could have broader implications for property rights and homeowners’ associations in the state.
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