Toledoans who walk out to the backyard for farm-fresh eggs may soon have to jump through hoops to keep their chickens.

City Council on Tuesday reviewed a proposal to add chickens to the list of animals prohibited without a permit from the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.

The Toledo Municipal Code prohibits people from keeping hogs, cows, goats, geese, or ducks without that permit, but chickens have been unregulated. Councilman Tom Waniewski wants to add chickens to the list.

“In the years I have been on council, I have probably gotten a half-dozen chicken complaints from the noise or the smell,” Mr. Waniewski said.

“We regulate dogs and we require them to be licensed,” he said. “I love people who love chickens, I love chickens, and I love to eat chickens. … We can have the health department come talk to us and we will come up with good legislation.”

Councilman Steven Steel, who keeps six chickens in the yard of his Old West End home, along with honey bees, said he doesn't see the need to regulate chickens. He called the idea shortsighted and ill-conceived.

“I wonder what the impetus is for this because I thought [Councilman Waniewski] was a conservative and wanted fewer laws, not more,” Mr. Steel said.

“It’s already covered by nuisance laws, such as when there are cats that smell or if a dog is barking,” he said. “If it's a commercial enterprise, there are zoning laws on the books for that.”

Mr. Waniewski acknowledged there are city nuisance laws that can be applied to animals.

Nearly every councilman Tuesday during the agenda review meeting took a turn to make a chicken joke — some involving clucking or crossing a road somewhere.

Suburban cities near Toledo regulate chickens. Gerry Wasserman, Oregon building and zoning inspector, said chickens are permitted only in agriculture districts.

“You could apply for a special use [permit, which costs] $300 and there is no guarantee,” Mr. Wasserman said.

He knew of one person in Oregon who had such a permit to keep chickens.

“He is surrounded by agriculture, but not in the agriculture district,” Mr. Wasserman said.

Tim Burns, Sylvania zoning administrator, said residents can pay $100 to apply for a special-use permit plus the cost of advertising the request in The Blade and direct mail to adjacent property owners.

“I am not aware of any chicken that has been permitted,” Mr. Burns said.

Shannon Lands, spokesman for the health department, said there is just one active permit issued for animals required by the city law, to Glass City Goat Gals, a nonprofit agribusiness in central Toledo.

Ms. Lands said there is no cost to apply and it requires sending a written request to the health department, surveying adjacent property owners to verify they have no objections, and creating a “waste management process.” She said people occasionally inquire about the permit but haven’t followed through with the process.

Contact Ignazio Messina at: imessina@theblade.com or 419-724-6171 or on Twitter @IgnazioMessina.

First Published February 11, 2015, 5:00 a.m.