The city of Douglas, Michigan, is determined to take the "free" out of "free range." In 2023, Kathryn Sarkisian, a resident of the Lake Michigan tourist town, wanted to do something that seemed simple enough: raise chickens in her backyard. She then sought—and received—a permit directly from the city, authorizing her to do so. Barely a month later, the city pulled an about-face, telling Sarkisian that she would have to get rid of her chickens on account of a neighbor's complaint.
Douglas originally passed its chicken ordinance in 2020, which gives neighbors a 21-day period within which to object to nearby chicken permit requests. This process wasn't followed, though, since the neighbor's complaint came after the city had already issued Sarkisian's permit. The city claimed that it had forgotten to notify the neighbors of their right to object during the review process and had therefore done so retroactively. Since one neighbor ended up objecting, Sarkisian was told she'd have to get rid of her chickens.
In the meantime, Sarkisian had spent $23,000 building a chicken coop and a privacy fence to shield the chickens from view. When Sarkisian refused to budge, the city began assessing a $300-per-day fine in November 2024. This means she is currently facing nearly $80,000 in fines for her refusal to comply with the city's demands. Worse yet, the city hasn't even clarified when the tolling period for the fines started—if it started from the time she began raising the chickens, the fines would now total over $200,000.
Despite the immense financial penalties at play, Sarkisian's six plucky chickens still stride outside her back door. "I was raised in a family that loves this country, that believes in our freedom, that's grateful for people who fought and who still fight for our freedoms," Sarkisian told MLive in a recent interview. "And those freedoms and rights are very near and dear to me."
Earlier this month, Sarkisian decided to make her protest official by suing the city of Douglas in federal court, with the assistance of the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) and the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Specifically, her suit alleges that the city's ordinance violates her due process rights under the 14th Amendment.
Even if the city had followed the proper timing protocols for neighbor objections, the lawsuit notes that the ordinance's wording still inherently runs afoul of due process rights. That's because the ordinance provides no clear standard, no ability for Sarkisian to appeal or contest her neighbor's complaint, and no right to a hearing. According to PLF's complaint, this effectively gives her neighbor "a standardless and unreviewable veto over Kathy's use of her own property."
The city of Douglas isn't the only Michigan town that has recently tried to clamp down on backyard fowl. Earlier this year, a local court in Oakland County, Michigan, struck down a different city's antichicken ordinance, ruling it to be unconstitutionally vague. (On the other hand, the city of Detroit, of all places, recently greenlit the ability of residents to raise ducks, chickens, and honeybees.)
As of this writing, the ultimate fate of Sarkisian's six chickens—lovingly named Sugar, Sunshine, Cinnamon, Butter, Piper, and Queen Isabella—remains undetermined. But Sarkisian is not backing down, nor does she regret her decision to sue. "Are you kidding me?" she said to MLive. "This is our right. These are my chickens."