Can I keep backyard chickens in Cambridge, Massachusetts?
Yes, with a permit from the Cambridge Public Health Department. You can keep up to 6 hens (up to 12 only if your permit explicitly allows it), roosters are banned, and the coop and run must be outside the front yard and at least 5 feet from property lines unless screened by a solid fence or wall.
| Permit | Required from the Cambridge Public Health Department [1] |
| Max hens | 6 (up to 12 if the permit explicitly allows) [2] |
| Roosters | Not allowed [3] |
| Setback from property line | 5 feet, or closer with a solid opaque screen [4] |
| Front yard | Hen enclosures not allowed [5] |
| Freestanding henhouse size | Max 8 ft tall and 50 sq ft of lot area [6] |
| Distance from wetlands | At least 100 feet [7] |
| Fees | $50 application, $25 renewal [8] |
| Permit term | Expires every April 30; annual renewal [9] |
Where hens are allowed
Henkeeping is an allowed accessory use under the Zoning Ordinance when done on a residential lot (and on religious and educational properties), as long as it meets the urban agriculture standards in Article 23 [1]. You need a permit from the Cambridge Public Health Department [1], and only hens may be kept; roosters aren't allowed [3].
How many
No more than six hens may be kept on a lot unless your health department permit explicitly authorizes more, and never more than twelve [2].
Coop and run rules
Hens must be kept in an enclosure made up of a henhouse and a hen run. The enclosure must be at least 5 feet from any property line, or closer if a solid wall, fence or similar opaque barrier screens it from the neighbor [4], and it can't be in a front yard [5]. A freestanding henhouse can be no taller than 8 feet and cover no more than 50 square feet [6]. The health regulation also requires enclosures to be at least 100 feet from a wetland [7], to drain onto your own lot, and to provide at least 2 sq ft of henhouse floor and 4 sq ft of run per hen. Henhouses and hen runs that meet Article 23 may sit in required yards.
Applying
The application includes a drawing of the lot showing the henhouse, run, existing structures and distances to neighboring lots; manure and pest management plans; the number of hens; the property owner's signed consent; and evidence that you notified all adjacent lot owners. The fee is $50, renewal is $25 [8], and permits expire each April 30 and must be renewed annually, with at least one routine inspection a year [9].
Eggs and other animals
Selling cooked or processed egg products needs a retail food permit from ISD. Neither document we reviewed allows other livestock such as ducks or goats.
See how Cambridge compares with 8+ other Massachusetts towns on backyard chickens →
Next steps
- Plan the coop and run: outside the front yard, 5 feet from lot lines (or screened by a solid fence), 100 feet from any wetland.
- Notify all adjacent lot owners in writing and keep a copy and the address list.
- Submit the hen permit application to the Cambridge Public Health Department with a lot drawing, coop/run construction details, manure and pest management plans, and the property owner's consent.
- Pay the $50 application fee, pass the inspection, and renew by early April each year ($25).
Common questions
- Can I have chickens in Cambridge, MA?
- Yes, with a permit from the Cambridge Public Health Department. Henkeeping is an allowed accessory use on residential lots that meet the Article 23 urban agriculture standards.
- How many chickens can I have in Cambridge, Massachusetts?
- Up to 6 hens, or up to 12 only if your health department permit explicitly allows it. Roosters are banned.
- Where can a chicken coop go in Cambridge, MA?
- Outside the front yard and at least 5 feet from property lines, or closer if screened by a solid fence or wall. A freestanding henhouse can be at most 8 feet tall and 50 sq ft, and enclosures must be at least 100 feet from a wetland.
- How much is a chicken permit in Cambridge, Massachusetts?
- The application fee is $50 and renewal is $25. Permits expire every April 30 and must be renewed annually, and you must notify all adjacent lot owners when applying.
Massachusetts state rules on backyard poultry
Massachusetts has no statewide right to keep backyard hens. Whether you can keep chickens, how many, and where the coop goes are set locally, through your town's zoning bylaw and Board of Health regulations.
- Board of Health power: under M.G.L. c. 111, §31, local boards of health may adopt "reasonable health regulations", and many use this power to require a permit to keep poultry. Violations can bring fines of up to $1,000. In towns with an agricultural commission, the board must send that commission any proposed rule affecting the non-commercial keeping of poultry, livestock or bees for a 45-day review.
- Agricultural zoning protection is for farms, not most backyards: c. 40A, §3 stops zoning from banning or requiring a special permit for commercial agriculture. Towns may limit that protection to parcels of 5 acres or more, or 2 acres or more if the land produces at least $1,000 per acre a year in sales. A typical backyard flock doesn't qualify.
- Annual barn inspections: your town's animal inspector, working under the state Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), does annual barn inspections and a census of livestock and poultry. Backyard flock owners may be contacted.
- Nuisance rules still apply: a board of health may also regulate or prohibit an activity that causes a nuisance or offensive odors (c. 111, §143).
What the bylaw says
- Sec. 23.51(b), Zoning Ordinance Article 23.000 Standards for Urban Agriculture (23.50 Henkeeping), p. 1
A permit must be obtained from the Cambridge Public Health Department for all keeping of hens, and permit-holders must be in compliance with all local public health regulations and state public health laws in order to keep hens.
- Sec. 23.52, Zoning Ordinance Article 23.000 Standards for Urban Agriculture (23.50 Henkeeping), p. 1
No more than six (6) hens may be housed on a lot unless a permit issued by the Cambridge Public Health Department explicitly authorizes a greater number, but in no case shall more than twelve (12) hens be permitted.
- Sec. 23.51(c), Zoning Ordinance Article 23.000 Standards for Urban Agriculture (23.50 Henkeeping), p. 1
Only female chickens (i.e., hens) may be kept. No male chickens (i.e., roosters) are allowed.
- Sec. 23.53(b), Zoning Ordinance Article 23.000 Standards for Urban Agriculture (23.50 Henkeeping), p. 1
All hen enclosures shall be located at least five (5) feet from a property line, or may be closer to the property line if there is a solid wall, fence, or similar opaque barrier visually screening the enclosure from an abutting property.
- Sec. 23.53(c), Zoning Ordinance Article 23.000 Standards for Urban Agriculture (23.50 Henkeeping), p. 1
A hen enclosure shall not be located in a front yard.
- Sec. 23.53(d), Zoning Ordinance Article 23.000 Standards for Urban Agriculture (23.50 Henkeeping), p. 1
Freestanding henhouses shall not be more than eight (8) feet in height above the mean grade of the ground adjoining the henhouse and shall cover no more than fifty (50) square feet of lot area.
- Regulation for the Keeping of Hens, Sec. 5(b)(iii), Cambridge Public Health Department Regulation for the Keeping of Hens (final 2024-04-22), p. 3
All Hen Enclosures shall be located no less than one hundred (100) feet from a Wetland as defined by M.G.L. c.131 § 40.
- Regulation for the Keeping of Hens, Sec. 6(e), Cambridge Public Health Department Regulation for the Keeping of Hens (final 2024-04-22), p. 8
Application Fee shall be $50 ii. Renewal Fee shall be $25.
- Regulation for the Keeping of Hens, Sec. 6(f)(i), Cambridge Public Health Department Regulation for the Keeping of Hens (final 2024-04-22), p. 8
All permits to keep Hens may be renewed annually by the Commissioner in his or her sole discretion and shall expire annually on April 30th.