Can I keep backyard chickens in Lewiston, Maine?
Yes, in some zones. Lewiston allows up to 6 hens (no roosters) on lots of at least 15,000 square feet with a single-family detached home or mobile home in the RA, LDR, SR, MDR and NCA districts. The henhouse and pen must be behind the house in the side or rear yard and at least 20 feet from every property line.
| Max number | 6 chickens per lot [1] |
| Roosters | Not allowed (female chickens only) [1] |
| Where allowed | RA, LDR, SR, MDR and NCA districts [7] |
| Minimum lot size | 15,000 sq ft with a single-family detached home or mobile home [5] |
| Coop and pen setback | 20 ft from any property line, in side or rear yard behind the house [4] |
| Commercial use | No egg sales, commercial breeding or slaughtering [2] |
| Livestock (horses, goats, etc.) | Only on rural/agricultural land, lots of 1 acre or more [6] |
Where you can keep hens
Lewiston's Code of Ordinances (Chapter 14, Article VII, Division 4) allows up to six female chickens in the Rural-Agricultural (RA), Low-Density Residential (LDR), Suburban Residential (SR), Medium Density Residential (MDR) and Neighborhood Conservation "A" (NCA) districts, on lots of at least 15,000 square feet developed with a single-family detached dwelling, including mobile homes on individual lots [5]. The zoning Land Use Table in Article XI marks "Keeping of Chickens" as permitted (P) in exactly those five columns (RA, LDR, SR, MDR and NCA) and blank in every other district [7]. The table row points to note (39), but in the current notes list the chicken rule is printed as note (38), which repeats the same districts and 15,000-square-foot lot size [8]; note (39) is about homeless shelters. This looks like a numbering slip in the table, not a different rule.
State law
Since September 24, 2025, Maine law has barred towns from adopting ordinances that prohibit keeping chickens on your own residential property. Lewiston's district and lot-size limits keep hens off smaller lots, duplexes and other zones, so state law may override those limits. The state law is new and untested, so ask the City how it is applying it to your lot.
Number and type
The maximum is six chickens per lot, and only female chickens are allowed, of any breed. Birds must come from an approved source such as a hatchery participating in the National Poultry Improvement Plan [1]. Chickens are for pets and personal use only: no selling eggs, commercial breeding or fertilizer production, and no slaughtering [2].
Coop and pen
Hens must be kept in a fenced area or enclosure at all times, with no free-ranging, and kept clean, dry and odor-free. At night they must be secured in a henhouse with a roof, doors and walls on all sides, and the henhouse can't be attached to or inside the home [3]. The coop and enclosure go only in the side or rear yard behind the house, at least 20 feet from any property line [4]. Odors must not be noticeable at the property line, and noise must not disturb neighbors of reasonable sensitivity.
Permits and other animals
We didn't find a separate chicken permit or license requirement in Chapter 14; check with Planning & Code Enforcement before building a coop. Livestock such as horses, goats, sheep, cattle and swine may only be kept on land zoned for rural or agricultural use, on lots of at least one acre [6].
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Next steps
- Check your zoning district on the City's GIS map and confirm your lot is at least 15,000 sq ft with a single-family detached home.
- Plan the henhouse and fenced run in the side or rear yard behind the house, at least 20 ft from every property line.
- Buy hens (no roosters, max 6) from a National Poultry Improvement Plan hatchery.
- Call Planning & Code Enforcement (207-513-3125 or planningcode@lewistonmaine.gov) to confirm whether a coop needs a building permit and how the City applies the new state chicken law to your lot.
Common questions
- Can you have chickens in Lewiston, Maine?
- In some zones. Lewiston allows up to 6 hens on lots of at least 15,000 square feet with a single-family detached home or mobile home in the RA, LDR, SR, MDR and NCA districts. Maine law since September 24, 2025 bars ordinances that prohibit hens on your own residential property, so state law may override those limits; ask the City how it applies it.
- How many chickens can I keep in Lewiston, Maine?
- The maximum is six chickens per lot, female only, of any breed, bought from an approved source such as a National Poultry Improvement Plan hatchery. They are for pets and personal use only: no egg sales, commercial breeding or slaughtering.
- Are roosters allowed in Lewiston, Maine?
- No. Lewiston's chicken ordinance allows only female chickens.
- How far from the property line does a chicken coop have to be in Lewiston, Maine?
- The henhouse and fenced enclosure must be at least 20 feet from every property line, in the side or rear yard behind the house. Hens must stay in the enclosure at all times (no free-ranging), and the henhouse can't be attached to or inside the home.
Maine's backyard chicken law
Towns can't ban hens outright. Since September 24, 2025, state law (7 M.R.S. §219-D, from LD 1655) says a town or county may not adopt an ordinance that prohibits a person from keeping chickens on their own residential property.
- The law defines "chicken" as a female domesticated bird raised for meat or eggs. Fully mature roosters aren't covered, so towns can still ban or limit them.
- The law also says it does not limit a town's "home rule" authority. In practice towns appear to keep the power to regulate how hens are kept, such as how many, coop location and setbacks, and sanitation, as long as the rules don't amount to a ban. The law is new, and courts haven't yet tested how far towns can go.
- Older ordinances that ban chickens in some zones may still be on the books but conflict with this law. Ask your town how it's applying them.
Right to Farm. Maine's Right to Farm law (7 M.R.S. §151 et seq.) protects farm operations connected to the commercial production of agricultural products from nuisance claims. A small flock kept just for your own eggs likely isn't covered.
Private deed covenants or HOA rules aren't addressed by the law and may still limit chickens.
What the ordinance says
- Ch. 14, Sec. 14-34 Number and type of chickens allowed, Code of Ordinances Chapter 14 - Animals (incl. Art. VII Div. 4 Keeping of Female Chickens, Secs. 14-33 to 14-40), p. 18
(a) The maximum number of chickens allowed is six (6) per lot developed with a single family dwelling. (b) Only female chickens are allowed. There is no restriction on chicken species.
- Ch. 14, Sec. 14-35 Noncommercial use only, Code of Ordinances Chapter 14 - Animals (incl. Art. VII Div. 4 Keeping of Female Chickens, Secs. 14-33 to 14-40), p. 19
Chickens shall be kept as pets and for personal use only; no person shall sell eggs or engage in chicken breeding or fertilizer production for commercial purposes. The slaughtering of chickens is prohibited.
- Ch. 14, Sec. 14-36(a)-(b) Enclosures, Code of Ordinances Chapter 14 - Animals (incl. Art. VII Div. 4 Keeping of Female Chickens, Secs. 14-33 to 14-40), p. 19
Chickens must be kept in a fenced area or enclosure at all times. Enclosures must be clean, dry, and odor free, kept in a neat and sanitary condition, in a manner that will not disturb the use of neighboring lots due to noise, odor or other adverse impact. The free ranging of chickens is not allowed.
- Ch. 14, Sec. 14-36(c) Enclosures, Code of Ordinances Chapter 14 - Animals (incl. Art. VII Div. 4 Keeping of Female Chickens, Secs. 14-33 to 14-40), p. 19
Chickens shall be kept only in the rear or side yard behind the principle structure of the lot and must be kept on the property of the owner. Chicken henhouses, fenced areas, and enclosures shall not be closer than twenty (20) feet to any property line.
- Ch. 14, Sec. 14-39 Lot size requirements, Code of Ordinances Chapter 14 - Animals (incl. Art. VII Div. 4 Keeping of Female Chickens, Secs. 14-33 to 14-40), p. 20
Notwithstanding the provisions under Appendix A, Article XI, Sec. 23 of this Code, the keeping of up to six female chickens are permitted in the Rural- Agricultural (RA), Low-Density Residential (LDR), Suburban Residential (SR), Medium Density Residential (MDR), and the Neighborhood Conservation "A"(NCA) districts on lots of no less than 15,000 square feet developed with single-family detached dwellings including mobile homes on individual lots.
- Ch. 14, Sec. 14-27 Keeping of livestock generally, Code of Ordinances Chapter 14 - Animals (incl. Art. VII Div. 4 Keeping of Female Chickens, Secs. 14-33 to 14-40), p. 17
(1) Livestock shall only be kept on lots or tracts of land zoned or designated for rural or agricultural purposes by the city. (2) Livestock shall not be kept on lots and tracts of land less than one acre in area.
- Art. XI, Land Use Table (6.04.2026), Natural Resource: Keeping of Chickens row, Zoning and Land Use Code (Appendix A) Article XI - District Regulations incl. Land Use Table and Space & Bulk Table (as amended through Ord. 26-19, eff. 2026-08-20), p. 9
Keeping of Chickens (39) P (39) P (39) P (39) P (39) P(39)
- Art. XI, Land Use Table Notes, note (38), Zoning and Land Use Code (Appendix A) Article XI - District Regulations incl. Land Use Table and Space & Bulk Table (as amended through Ord. 26-19, eff. 2026-08-20), p. 12
(38) Keeping of Chickens- Notwithstanding, the provisions under Article XI, Sec23 of this Code, the keeping of up to six female chickens are permitted in the Rural- Agricultural(RA), Low-Density Residential (LDR), Suburban Residential (SR), Medium Density Residential (MDR), and the Neighborhood Conservation “A”(NCA) districts on lots of no less than 15,000 square feet developed with single-family detached dwellings including mobile homes on individual lots pursuant to the provisions contained in Chapter 14, Article VII.