Valleywide : Law Will Regulate Potbellied Pigs

Potbellied pigs, those pint-size porkers that were all the rage a few years ago, can join the ranks of domestic pets, the Los Angeles City Council decided Wednesday.

The council voted unanimously to direct planning officials to draft a law allowing potbellied pigs to be kept as pets in residential areas under certain conditions. Pigs are now banned from residential areas.

But the head of a pig rescue group said the proposed law is too restrictive and will keep current pig owners from registering the tiny swine, thus continuing the animal’s fugitive status.

“Everyone is going to continue to hide their pigs,” said Kathie Ward, who runs a potbellied pig rescue program in Northridge and owns three potbellied pigs.

City officials estimate that about 4,000 potbellied pigs already live in residential areas throughout the city.

The proposed law would set the following restrictions:

* Pig owners must live in a neighborhood zoned for residential and agricultural uses.

* Pigs are limited to two per household.

* Residents of single-family residential neighborhoods must first get all adjacent neighbors to sign a form saying they are not opposed to living next to a pig owner. If a neighbor refuses to sign, the permit request can be decided at a hearing before a zoning administrator.

* Potbellied pigs would not be allowed in apartments and condominiums.

In addition, Ward said she was told that the city is considering charging a $5,000 fee for a zoning variance that allows pigs in single-family neighborhoods.

“No one is going to pay the fee,” she said. “If you happen to be rich you have a way to do it.”

But Cora Smith, a city planner overseeing the proposed law, said the final draft is not ready and it is still unclear how much the city will charge. The final draft must be approved by the city’s Planning Commission and again by the City Council.