In 2024, two separate pieces of legislation were proposed (House Bill 1514 and Senate Bill 985) that would eliminate the ability of residents within homeowners’ association to prohibit the pasturing of chickens if the lot exceeded 0.2 acres in size.
In the waning hours of the 2024 Session, HB 2062 (which related to prohibiting the ability of local governments to impose a moratorium on evictions) was amended to add the chicken provisions and numerous other topics.
Similar legislation was proposed in prior years and received little support. In 2024, the sole supporting testimony was from someone who already could, and did, pasture chickens. Those opposed emphasized that this topic can, and is often, readily addressed within each community, so there is no need for a state-wide mandate, and that community associations would be forced to take on the role of animal control for health and safety.
Four Seasons Lakesites Property Owners Association sued to challenge the validity of HB 2026 because the Missouri Constitution requires that legislation be limited to a single subject, have a clear title, amendments to legislation must remain within the original purpose of the proposed legislation, and the Missouri and United States Constitutions protection for parties to engage and enforce contracts.
On October 20, 2025, the Court found in favor of Four Seasons on every legal argument, including the law’s impermissible infringement on the rights of an association and its members to contract. The Court’s judgment is linked here and contains the court’s legal reasoning and citations in support.
While the State of Missouri has stated that it intends to appeal the decision, the current state of the law in Missouri is as if HB 2062 was never adopted. Homeowners’ associations can proceed as they did before HB 2062 was adopted and enforce any prohibitions on pasturing of chickens, and, should a community wish, to amend their governing documents to allow them.
