New legislation introduced this week at a Wicomico County, Maryland, Council meeting, proposes regulations to put more distance between poultry houses and residential houses as well as requiring buffer areas filled with vegetation. In March, the county council agreed that the existing zoning regulations regarding poultry growout houses needed revising.
The new legislation extends the distance between a poultry house and a residential area from 100 feet to 200 feet. The proposed legislation also calls for more distance from ventilation fans requiring a minimum of 500 feet between any poultry house facing away from the residential house. If the fans face toward a residence, the minimum distance would be 600 feet. Vegetative buffers would also be required in three staggered rows of plants to provide visual screening from the poultry houses.
A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, August 23 at the Wicomico County Civic Enter
