Couple Seeks Permit to Raise Chickens in Tony Tiburon

A pair of Tiburon residents have been outed by an anonymous neighbor: they have four hens in a coop outside their home in the tony Marin seaside town. But rather than be forced to vacate their coop, Stuart and Gina Peterson can apply for an official chicken permit -- and that's exactly what they plan to do.

Backyard chicken farming is exploding in popularity in green-conscious Marin County, according to the Marin Independent Journal, with a host of cities and towns instituting permit processes for suburban farming. Tiburon's permitting process is on a case-by-case basis, with the usual end result for unpermitted birds -- as in the Petersons' case -- a forced removal of the egg-layers.

But not in this instance, despite an anonymous call bringing the chickens to the town's attention (which is standard, according to the newspaper). The couple, after being discovered by town planning staffers, will apply for a permit this week, the town's first for chicken farming.

The permit includes a $1,500 deposit to cover expenses, most of which is returned, according to the newspaper. The town hopes that a positive outcome will help more closet-chicken farmers to come out into the open -- and get a permit, the newspaper said.