Can I keep backyard chickens in Cohasset, Massachusetts?
Under Cohasset's Board of Public Health animal regulations, you can keep up to 11 hens without a permit; 12 or more hens, or any rooster, needs a Keeping of Animals and Stable Permit. The regulations also say a coop must be at least 30 ft from property lines and 100 ft from any dwelling, well or wetland, which many smaller lots can't meet, so confirm with the Board how these setbacks apply to your flock.
| Permit threshold | Permit required for 12 or more fowl (hens); fewer than 12 need no permit [1] |
| Roosters | Not allowed without a specific permit; abutter noise complaints can be grounds for refusal or revocation [2] |
| Coop setback from property line | 30 feet [3] |
| Coop setback from dwelling, well or wetland | 100 feet [3] |
| Coop floor space | 3 sq ft per mature bird [8] |
| Permit term | Expires December 31 each year; renewal is free [4] |
Do you need a permit?
Cohasset's Board of Public Health regulations (revised May 2, 2023) define poultry to include chickens kept for food or eggs [9]. You must get a Keeping of Animals and Stable Permit before keeping animals at or above the quantities in the regulation's table, which includes fowl other than roosters and peacocks [1]. In the original table the threshold for fowl is 12, so a permit is needed once you keep 12 or more hens (the table sets 2 for horses and cattle, 3 for other cloven-hoofed animals, 6 for rabbits, and 1 for roosters, peacocks and swine). Roosters and peacocks always need a specific permit, and one or more abutter noise complaints can be grounds to refuse or revoke it [2].
Applying
Apply online through Cohasset Permit Eyes and include the Board's plans and fees. The Board reviews your application at a public hearing [5]. You need a plot plan stamped by a registered engineer or land surveyor showing structures, the coop, fences, wetlands and septic [6]. You must notify all abutters at least 10 days before the hearing [7]. The Board inspects the coop before issuing the permit, and the permit lists the maximum number of birds. Permits expire every December 31 [4] and are renewed online at no fee [10].
Coop location and size
The coop (the "facility") must be at least 30 feet from any property line and public way, and 100 feet from any wetland, any dwelling and any well [3]. It also needs 3 square feet of floor space per mature bird [8]. The setback section doesn't say whether it applies only to permitted flocks or whether your own house counts as a "dwelling", but on a small lot the 100-foot dwelling setback can be impossible to meet, so ask the Board before you build. The Board may grant a variance where strict enforcement would cause manifest injustice [11].
Other livestock
The same permit covers horses, cattle, goats, sheep, swine, rabbits and other cloven-hoofed animals. Horses also have minimum lot sizes. The zoning bylaw may have its own rules, but we couldn't review it.
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Next steps
- Call the Cohasset Board of Public Health (781-383-4100 x5119) to confirm whether the coop setbacks apply to a small flock under 12 hens and whether your own house counts as a "dwelling".
- Have a registered engineer or land surveyor prepare a stamped plot plan showing the coop location, setbacks, wetlands and septic.
- If you'll keep 12 or more hens or any rooster, apply for a Keeping of Animals and Stable Permit on Cohasset Permit Eyes, pay the fee, and notify abutters at least 10 days before the hearing.
- Ask the Building & Inspections Department whether the zoning bylaw adds any rules for coops or accessory structures.
Common questions
- Can I keep chickens in Cohasset, Massachusetts?
- Yes. Under the Board of Public Health regulations, you can keep up to 11 hens without a permit, but 12 or more hens needs a Keeping of Animals and Stable Permit. Ask the Board how the coop setbacks apply to your flock.
- Can I have a rooster in Cohasset, Massachusetts?
- Only with a specific permit. Roosters always need one, and abutter noise complaints can be grounds for refusing or revoking it.
- How far must a chicken coop be from my house and neighbors in Cohasset, Massachusetts?
- The regulations say a coop must be at least 30 feet from property lines and 100 feet from any dwelling, well or wetland, which many smaller lots can't meet. Confirm with the Board of Public Health how this applies.
- How much space do chickens need in Cohasset, Massachusetts?
- The coop needs 3 square feet of floor space per mature bird.
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
- §D.1 Keeping of Animals and Stable Permit, Board of Health Animal Regulations (Horses, Stables, Cloven-Hoofed Livestock, Fowl and Poultry), revised 2023, p. 5
No person shall stable or otherwise keep or maintain any of the animals at or above the quantity or quantities listed below within the limits of the Town of Cohasset without first obtaining a Keeping of Animals and Stable Permit from the Board:
- §D.3, Board of Health Animal Regulations (Horses, Stables, Cloven-Hoofed Livestock, Fowl and Poultry), revised 2023, p. 5
3. No rooster or peacock shall be allowed unless a permit is specifically issued. It shall be adequate cause for refusing or revoking a permit to keep a rooster or peacock if one or more abutters complain if it constitutes a nuisance by reason of noise.
- §I.1 Setbacks, Board of Health Animal Regulations (Horses, Stables, Cloven-Hoofed Livestock, Fowl and Poultry), revised 2023, p. 8
1. The facility shall be located no less than: a) 100 feet from any Wetland as defined by M.G.L. c. 131 §40, and any local regulations and/or bylaws. b) 30 feet from any property line. c) 30 feet from any public way. d) 100 feet from any dwelling. e) 100 feet from any well, public or private.
- §D.5, Board of Health Animal Regulations (Horses, Stables, Cloven-Hoofed Livestock, Fowl and Poultry), revised 2023, p. 5
5. Each permit shall expire on December 31* of the corresponding year, annually.
- §D.6, Board of Health Animal Regulations (Horses, Stables, Cloven-Hoofed Livestock, Fowl and Poultry), revised 2023, p. 5
6. Prior to initial issuance of a permit, the applicant must submit an online application via Cohasset Permit Eyes, as well as all corresponding plans and fees required by the Board. Said application shall be reviewed for approval by the Board at a public hearing scheduled at the Board’s convenience.
- §D.7, Board of Health Animal Regulations (Horses, Stables, Cloven-Hoofed Livestock, Fowl and Poultry), revised 2023, p. 5
7. An application for initial issuance of a permit must be accompanied by a plot plan, which is stamped by a Registered Professional Engineer and/or Professional Land Surveyor.
- §D.9, Board of Health Animal Regulations (Horses, Stables, Cloven-Hoofed Livestock, Fowl and Poultry), revised 2023, p. 6
9. All abutters must be notified of the application for a permit no less than ten (10) calendar days prior to the date of the hearing when the application will be reviewed.
- §F.1(d) Minimum Lot Sizes, Board of Health Animal Regulations (Horses, Stables, Cloven-Hoofed Livestock, Fowl and Poultry), revised 2023, p. 7
d) Three square feet of floor space per mature poultry; and
- §C Definitions, Poultry, Board of Health Animal Regulations (Horses, Stables, Cloven-Hoofed Livestock, Fowl and Poultry), revised 2023, p. 4
Poultry: means any domesticated or semi-domesticated bird, including chickens, ordinarily kept for food or eggs.
- §D.13, Board of Health Animal Regulations (Horses, Stables, Cloven-Hoofed Livestock, Fowl and Poultry), revised 2023, p. 6
No fee shall be required for the renewal of a permit.
- §O.1 Variances, Board of Health Animal Regulations (Horses, Stables, Cloven-Hoofed Livestock, Fowl and Poultry), revised 2023, p. 11
1. The Board may grant a variance to any provision(s) of these regulations when, in its opinion, the strict enforcement of these regulations would result in manifest injustice and does not jeopardize the public health or the environment.