Lynnwood considers relaxing its rules for keeping goats

LYNNWOOD — If all goes as planned, Anne Smeester might have a goat mansion in her back yard before the year is out.

Smeester, who lives near Lynndale Park in Lynnwood, is one of several neighbors who’s lobbied the City Council to allow pet goats in city limits.

The current rules only permit goats if the owners have nearly a half-acre of land, said Councilman Ian Cotton, who is leading the effort to change the rules.

He’d like the city codes to allow miniature goats, such as pygmy goats, under the same rules as dogs.

“What I saw was a group of Lynnwood residents who were really passionate about sustainability,” Cotton said. “They came to City Council and said, ‘Hey, we really want to do this as part of sustainable living in an urban environment.’”

The idea came up again during a council retreat and is now headed to the Community Development Department, Cotton said. It will have to go through the planning commission, including a time for public comment, before going back to council. He hopes the council can vote on a new ordinance in the next couple of months.

Goats help clean people’s yards because they eat weeds and invasive plants, Cotton said. Some also can be milked, and they provide companionship for people and other pets.

“I think they’re kind of cute,” he said. “They’re not a full-blown piece of livestock.”

Miniature goats are allowed with a license in the city of Seattle. In unincorporated Snohomish County, goats are allowed as long as they’re not running loose. Some local cities, including Edmonds, Marysville and Mountlake Terrace, allow goats if owners follow certain requirements, such as minimum acreage. In Everett, goat owners need a special license that includes an on-site inspection from an animal control officer. Some cities don’t allow unneutered bucks.

In Marysville, it’s against the rules for goats to “be ridden or paraded in the city in a manner that could endanger people or property.”

Smeester, 45, and her husband, Greg, moved to Lynnwood 15 years ago, and raised three children, the youngest of whom is almost grown, she said.

She’s studying sustainable agriculture at Edmonds Community College. She’s kept chickens, bees and ducks, and she tends a vegetable garden. She likes goats for their mild temperament, she said.

“I need goats so I can have milk and complete the cycle of our food,” she said.“They’re so cute.”

Last year, Smeester knocked on the doors of some houses in her neighborhood that had well-kept gardens. She asked the families if they’d be interested in going with her to council to talk about goats. She got a few takers.

Smeester’s husband was on the fence himself until they took a trip to Vashon Island.

“He drank fresh goat milk right there from the jar, and he was totally sold,” she said.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.