township trouble

[talon3713]

I'm in PA and having trouble getting permission from my township to participate in the sport of falconry. I was met with great resistance by the township zoning commissioner. I was told because of having my property zoned as a resident, that only domestic animals would be allowed. Has anyone ever encountered this problem and if so would appreciate any advice or suggestions.

Mike

[raptrlvr]

Contact your falconry club in Pa. There are many falconers in the state and they will help you out. Its is legal in Pa to practice falconry and if the state allows it, then your township should allow it. Even if the township has an ordinance against it, you can usually work it out. Just don't argue with them and do your homework on the subject.

[tyler1998]

It just sounds like an education issue. They probably think you're going to get an eagle that will carry off their children. Do they have a monthly or quartly board meeting? If so, present your case to them. Let them know where you'll be flying the bird (not in the township). Maybe even find a friendly falconer and bring him along. No surprises though - make sure they're okay with it first. Also, show them how you're able to control the bird with the leash and jess system. While in the township, the bird will be under your control. Also explain the housing system and the inspection and licensing requirements. If they know how regulated the sport is, they might be more trusting of the it. Maybe ask around and find out why its been banned. Falconry is fairly obscure, so they might have previously had a bad experience with a local falconer or something. That would help you prepare better for a presentation - you could better address their concerns.

Lastly, if that doesn't work, ask the local warden if the prohibition is legal. Are they allowed to ban a sport that's sanctioned by both the federal and state government? I don't know, maybe they are.

If that doesn't help, then it's time to move where people ocassionally remove their heads from their butts long enough to look around for a moment!

[jondarp]

Feb 17, 2009 20:02:19 GMT -5 talon3713 said:

I'm in PA and having trouble getting permission from my township to participate in the sport of falconry. I was met with great resistance by the township zoning commissioner. I was told because of having my property zoned as a resident, that only domestic animals would be allowed. Has anyone ever encountered this problem and if so would appreciate any advice or suggestions.

Mike

Mike,

I'm a falconer from Connecticut and I live in a very populated suburban town. Our state falconry regs stipulate that anyone applying for a falconry permit must have written consent from their local zoning officials to a) construct a mews and b) keep a bird of prey on their property.

In this state, we haven't had legal falconry for that long (four years). In fact, at the time I approached my zoning officials, we didn't have a falconry program in place yet. So, obviously, there was no precedent and it took me over a year to educate the zoning people what falconry is, what I intended to do with the bird, and how the impact to the neighborhood was virtually negligible.

When I was preparing for my pitch to my zoning officials, I received some excellent advice from a falconer in Oklahoma, which proved to be very helpful.

I'm not an expert on zoning laws, but I'd be glad to share some of the things I learned from my experience if you're interested. If so, send me a PM.

Regards,

Jon D.

[talon3713]

Thanks for the input everyone. I've been able to work things out and I will hopefully be taking my test soon.

Thanks again

Mike