Law firm warns Ogunquit officials of legal fallout over family’s tin roosters

Ogunquit Roosters Spark First‑Amendment Debate

Ogunquit, Maine – The town’s quiet coastal streets have become the stage for a clash between a local family and municipal officials over a row of giant tin roosters that have taken the neighborhood by storm. The dispute, which began in early 2025, has attracted national attention and raised questions about how a small community interprets its own zoning and signage codes.

The Roosters and the Family

The LeBlancs—Dave, Sara, and their six‑year‑old daughter Pyper, who has autism—installed dozens of six‑foot‑tall, hand‑cast metal roosters on the lawn of their home on Route 1. The sculptures, which cost the family hundreds of dollars to create, were intended as a playful nod to their restaurant, The Omelette Factory, located next to their property. According to Sara LeBlanc, the birds are simply a source of comfort for her daughter, not a commercial advertisement: “The roosters have nothing to do with our restaurant’s egg‑based business,” she said in an email Monday.

The family’s display became a local icon. Many neighbors, drawn by the colorful figures, joined in by placing their own roosters on their lawns as a show of solidarity and to raise awareness for autism. The movement has been covered by local media, which has dubbed the sculptures a “symbol for autism awareness.”

Town Action and Legal Challenge

Town Manager Matthew Buttrick and Code Enforcement Officer Tyler McOsker responded to the roosters by citing a town ordinance that prohibits the removal or alteration of signage without a permit. They issued the family a $150 fine in February and ordered the birds to be taken down. The LeBlancs paid the fine but did not remove the sculptures. Since then, the town has levied nearly $2,000 in additional fines against the family, citing the same ordinance.

The family’s frustration turned to legal action when the Institute of Justice (IOJ), a national nonprofit that defends free‑speech rights, engaged a Texas attorney, Daniel Woislaw, to represent them. In a letter sent on Monday morning, Woislaw demanded that Ogunquit stop enforcing its sign code against the roosters and rescind the previous fines. He argued that the town’s interpretation of the ordinance is too narrow, pointing out that the code applies only to objects that “communicate something to the public.” “The town has treated the LeBlancs’ roosters not as whimsical yard sculptures but as regulated signage simply because it has decided that the roosters say something it doesn’t like,” Woislaw wrote.

Woislaw also noted that the town’s own code does not seem to restrict other identical roosters that appear in front of other businesses and private homes across Ogunquit. “A few tin roosters do not implicate traffic safety or any aesthetic interest that countless other unregulated lawn decorations in Ogunquit do not implicate equally,” he said.

Town’s Position

Town officials have not yet responded to the IOJ’s letter. In the absence of a public statement, the local press has reported only the family’s and the Institute’s perspectives. The town’s code, as cited by the IOJ, requires that any signage—business or residential—be approved by a code‑enforcement officer before it can be moved or altered. The LeBlancs contend that the roosters are decorative, not promotional. The town, however, has linked the birds to The Omelette Factory’s logo, a rooster that appears on the restaurant’s branding, and therefore considers the sculptures to be a form of advertising.

Outlook

Sara LeBlanc told the Press Herald in a June interview that her family is working directly with the Institute for Justice. “Whether it escalates to court depends on the town’s response,” she wrote.

If the matter goes to court, the case could set a precedent for how small towns balance property rights, free speech, and local ordinances. For now, the roosters continue to perch on the LeBlanc yard, a bright yellow and orange beacon that has captured the attention of both residents and legal scholars. Whether they will remain on the lawn or be taken down remains to be decided by the town’s next meeting.