Jul 4, 2026
An Ogunquitat, Maine family has faced hundreds of dollars of fines for their two six-foot-tall metal rooster statues, according to local reports. They still aren’t taking them down — and their community is rallying around them to help keep the statues up.
David and Sarah LeBlanc own and run The Omelette Factory, a local breakfast-focused restaurant attached to their home. A rooster, a bird that’s important to the couple’s adopted daughter, Pyper, adorns the restaurant’s logo.
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“It’s always been a part of wherever we’ve been, her and her birds,” Sara told the Maine Wire.
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But the couple has been fined multiple times for their statues. Now, neighbors are doing what they can to support the family, including putting up signs in their cars and asking David to put roosters up in front of their own homes.
“Maine has always had a way of wrapping its arms around families who show up for others,” writes 94.9 HOM, a local radio station. “If you support this Maine family, put OUT YOUR ROOSTERS!”
Here’s why the couple refuses to take their roosters down — and what rules the Ogunquit government says they’re breaking.
The tin roosters help the couple’s adopted daughter feel safe
The couple adopted their six-year-old daughter, Pyper, three years ago after a stressful foster situation. Pyper is also autistic — and the roosters help her feel safe and secure.
“They are her birds, and they help her transition into the house and into the restaurant,” Sara says.
Transitional objects or comfort objects can be helpful for any child as emotional support tools — although they’re usually small, soft objects like a blanket or a plush, not a six-foot-tall tin rooster.
But familiar objects are especially important to people with autism, who rely on them to “support the need for sameness, familiarity and well-being,” according to a 2021 article that appeared in the scientific journal Autism.
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“Objects give me a sense of security… they are altogether more predictable than people,” says Zoey, a subject interviewed for the article. “They are always there, available, you don’t need to chase them.”
The tall tin roosters could also be a helpful landmark for Pyper if she “elopes” or suddenly leaves her home without telling anyone.
Removing the roosters could be a tough emotional blow for Pyper — one that many in the community feel is entirely unnecessary.
“You are hurting a little kid, my little kid,” says David.
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The Ogunquit government says the two roosters count as signs
The Ogunquit government says that, because the house and the restaurant are on the same property, the roosters count as signs — possibly because they match the restaurant’s logo.
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Ogunquit has strict rules about signage on both residential and business properties. If the roosters are signs, then they break a few of the government’s rules:
- Freestanding signs can’t be taller than 42 inches in height (although it’s unclear what is considered a “freestanding sign”).
- In order to hang up a sign, both businesses and residences have to get a permit from the Code Enforcement Officer.
- Signs which visually move (the roosters bob slightly on their tall metal legs) are not allowed.
But considering the roosters as signs only makes sense if they’re some sort of advertisement for the restaurant, which the LeBlancs say they aren’t.
“I physically bought them for the house, not our business,” Sara told local news station, WGME. The roosters sit squarely in front of the door of the LeBlancs’ personal home, although they can be seen from the outdoor seating area of their restaurant.
The Ogunquit town manager and the LeBlanc family did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Kit Pulliam is a DC-based financial journalist with over five years of experience writing, editing, and fact-checking financial content.
