ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Thanks to an 11-year-old in Oro Valley, folks in the town can now raise certain livestock on their property like chickens, miniature goats and bee colonies.
It all started when Savanna Randall asked the town if she and her family could raise chickens in May 2023. What she, and her dad Ben who accompanied her, didn’t expect was that her simple request would lead to the Oro Valley Town Council changing its rules on small livestock.
“I’m like, ‘Oh man, are they going to pass it? What are they going to do? Are they going to reject it?’” Savanna said.
Much to her surprise, on September 18 the council voted unanimously to approve the new ordinance. Savanna’s push for change also goes beyond just her love for animals.
“It teaches responsibility to kids by taking care of them, making sure they have food and water, cleaning up after them,” she said. “It aligns with the town motto, ‘It’s in our nature,’ because how would it be in our nature if we didn’t allow it?”
According to Savanna, those were just a few of the 25 benefits of owning animals, which she also shared with the town council during her request.
Before the council’s decision, Oro Valley’s zoning codes on small livestock hadn’t been updated in 20 years. Additionally, the state legislature also passed a bill this year limiting a town's ability to ban the possession of chickens.
While hens are permitted, roosters are not. Any livestock must also be for "non-commercial purposes on detached single-family residential properties, and to assure properties remain compatible with neighbors by adopting appropriate standards."
For Savanna’s father, Ben, he couldn’t be prouder as a dad.
“She stuck with it for a long time,” he said. “I think that lesson is the biggest one here. It took 18 months, four trips to planning and zoning, and town council, but in the end, it worked out because we showed up and were prepared.”
He also expressed gratitude to town staff for their work in studying the subject further following their initial inquiry last year.
While Savanna is already busy with her chickens, she’s hopeful her parents will eventually say yes to getting some miniature goats.
“Maybe not immediately,” she said, “but I want to. I don’t know how they’re going to respond to that."
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Kenny Darr is a reporter for KGUN 9. He joined the team in January 2023. Before arriving in Arizona he was an Anchor and Reporter at KADN in Lafayette, LA. Share your story ideas with Kenny by emailing kenny.darr@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
