Can I keep backyard chickens in Concord, Massachusetts?
Yes, with a Board of Health permit, renewed every May 31. The permit sets how many birds you may keep (there's no fixed number in the regulation); roosters are allowed only if the permit says so, and birds may not roam off your property.
| Permit | Board of Health permit required to keep poultry [1] |
| Permit renewal | Expires every May 31; fee set annually; not transferable [3] |
| Max number of hens | No fixed number; your permit sets the maximum [4] |
| Roosters | Only if the permit specifically allows; neighbor noise complaints can end it [5] |
| Free-ranging | Birds may not stray off your property [6] |
| Zoning | Agriculture, including keeping poultry, is allowed in all residential districts [8] |
| Coop setback (zoning) | 5 ft from side lines (if no closer to the street than the rearmost point of the house); 5 ft from the rear line [10] |
| Manure | No stockpiling April 15 to October 15 [11] |
Board of Health permit
Concord regulates backyard poultry through the Board of Health's Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (effective March 21, 2012); this is the version we reviewed and it may have been amended since. "Animal" includes poultry [2], and no one may keep animals without a written Board of Health permit [1]. Permits expire every May 31, the fee is set each year, and permits can't be transferred [3][13]. Your application must explain how you'll keep the property clean and control flies and rodents. The Board may also ask for a scaled plan showing lot lines, the coop, manure storage, wetlands and nearby wells [7].
How many birds, and roosters
The regulation sets no fixed hen limit. Your permit states the maximum number of animals, and you can't keep more than that [4]. Roosters are allowed only if the permit says so. The Board can refuse or revoke rooster approval if a neighbor complains about noise [5].
Keeping the flock
- Poultry may not forage or stray off your property [6].
- At minimum, birds need a weatherproof shelter with at least three sides and a floor that can be kept clean and dry [12]. Coops must be kept sanitary.
- Manure can't be stockpiled between April 15 and October 15 [11]. On a small lot, the Board can require you to haul it away.
Zoning
The Zoning Bylaw's definition of agriculture includes "the keeping and raising of poultry" [9], and agriculture is allowed by right in all residential districts [8]. A coop is a building of accessory use. It can sit as close as 5 ft to a side lot line if it is no closer to the street than the rearmost point of the house [10]. The rear lot line setback is also 5 ft [14]. A coop placed further forward must meet the regular side yard setback. The Board of Health notes that its permit doesn't mean you comply with zoning or Natural Resources rules, so check with the Building Department and Natural Resources Division too, especially if the coop would be near a wetland.
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Next steps
- Call the Concord Board of Health / Health Division for the animal-keeping permit application and current fee.
- Write a short maintenance plan covering cleaning, manure handling, and fly and rodent control; be ready to draw a scaled site plan if asked.
- Place the coop at least 5 ft from side and rear lines and no closer to the street than the rearmost point of the house; check with Natural Resources if it's near a wetland.
- Ask for rooster approval in the application if you want one, and renew the permit before May 31 each year.
Common questions
- Can I keep chickens in Concord, Massachusetts?
- Yes, with a Board of Health permit that expires every May 31. Zoning allows keeping poultry in all residential districts, but the Board's permit doesn't mean you comply with zoning, so check with the Building Department too.
- How many chickens can I have in Concord, Massachusetts?
- The regulation sets no fixed number. Your permit states the maximum, and you can't keep more than that. Birds may not stray off your property.
- Can I have a rooster in Concord, Massachusetts?
- Only if the permit specifically allows one. The Board can refuse or revoke rooster approval if a neighbor complains about noise.
- How close to the property line can a chicken coop be in Concord, Massachusetts?
- A coop can sit as close as 5 ft to a side lot line if it is no closer to the street than the rearmost point of the house. The rear lot line setback is also 5 ft.
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
- Section 2.1 General Requirements, Board of Health - Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (effective March 21, 2012), p. 3
No person, firm, or corporation shall exhibit, raise, board, train, or keep within the limits of the town, in any building, or on any premises on which he may be the owner, lessee, tenant, or occupant, any cattle, equine, swine or other animal as defined in Section 1 without written permit from the Board of Health.
- Section 1 Definitions, Animal, Board of Health - Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (effective March 21, 2012), p. 1
Animal: Shall mean any animal including but not limited to poultry, bird, reptile, cow, and horse, but excluding typical household pets which are housed primarily inside a residential home.
- Section 2.1 General Requirements, Board of Health - Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (effective March 21, 2012), p. 3
Any such permit shall expire annually on May 31st
- Section 2.3 General Requirements, Board of Health - Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (effective March 21, 2012), p. 3
The permit shall specify the maximum number of animals which are to be kept within such an area. No animals in excess of the number specified shall be kept therein.
- Section 7.2 Keeping of Poultry, Board of Health - Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (effective March 21, 2012), p. 6
No rooster shall be kept unless permit so specifies. It shall be adequate cause for refusing or revoking a permit to keep a rooster if one or more abutters complain of its presence by reason of noise.
- Section 7.1 Keeping of Poultry, Board of Health - Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (effective March 21, 2012), p. 6
Poultry shall not be allowed to forage or stray outside the area of the property.
- Section 2.2 General Requirements, Board of Health - Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (effective March 21, 2012), p. 3
The application shall also be accompanied with a proposal that describes how the property shall be maintained so that it will be kept clean and free from filth and stagnant water, and the method to be used to control flies and rodents.
- Table I – Principal Use Regulations, §4.1.2, Zoning Bylaw (amended through Annual Town Meeting April 2026), p. 22
4.1.2 Agriculture, horticulture, floriculture yes yes yes yes yes
- §4.1.2 Farming, or agriculture, Zoning Bylaw (amended through Annual Town Meeting April 2026), p. 15
the keeping and raising of poultry, swine, cattle and other domesticated animals used for food purposes, bees, fur-bearing animals
- §6.2.7 Side yards, Zoning Bylaw (amended through Annual Town Meeting April 2026), p. 32
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a building of accessory use may be placed not less than five (5) feet from a sideline
- Section 5.2.1 Sanitary Requirements, Board of Health - Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (effective March 21, 2012), p. 5
The manure shall not be stockpiled between the period of April 15 and October 15.
- Section 4.1 Construction and Maintenance of Facilities, Board of Health - Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (effective March 21, 2012), p. 4
The minimum requirement for housing shall be an open shed, offering maximum protection with a weatherproof room and at least three sides, enough head room for the animal to be housed and floored with any material that can be kept clean and dry, with proper drainage provided.
- Section 2.1 General Requirements, Board of Health - Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (effective March 21, 2012), p. 3
The licensing fee shall be determined annually. The permit is not transferable.
- §6.2.8 Rear yards, Zoning Bylaw (amended through Annual Town Meeting April 2026), p. 32
In the residential districts or for single-family dwellings in the Business or Medical-Professional districts, no building of accessory use shall be placed nearer to the rear lot line than five (5) feet.