Kyle Thompson, a snake breeder from Ames, IA, was breeding boa constrictors and Burmese pythons at his home. Initially, his operations proceeded without issue until local residents discovered he was selling the reptiles. The city’s objection was not to the type of snakes he kept, but specifically to the selling of snakes from his residence.
Thompson applied for a zoning board of adjustment permit as instructed. Despite a home inspection by the city’s department of zoning and housing that recommended approval, and Thompson submitting signed statements of support from 12 neighbors and his landlord, the permit was denied. A city hearing included testimony from concerned neighbors, with one fearing a snake might harm her child and another worried about safety at a nearby elementary school half a mile away. All three board members voted to reject his application. Thompson noted that most objections were about him having snakes at all, not the business aspect. He can continue breeding snakes and even double the number he keeps, but he is prohibited from selling them from his home. In contrast, Scott Nellis of Coon Rapids, MN, successfully maintained his home-based snake breeding business.
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