Can I keep backyard chickens in Dennis, Massachusetts?
Yes, with a Board of Health poultry permit (renewed every January 1; fee capped at $5), under regulations dating from 2010. The rules conflict for smaller lots: a coop isn't allowed on a lot under 20,000 sq ft without a Board of Health variance, yet the same section lets those lots keep up to 12 birds, so owners of small lots should ask the Board about a variance first. Coops must be at least 10 feet from the abutter's line and 100 feet from wells and wetlands, and roosters over 16 weeks old aren't allowed on lots under 80,000 sq ft.
| Permit | Board of Health Poultry Permit, renewed annually by January 1 [1] |
| Poultry permit fee | Not more than $5 [1] |
| Minimum lot for any animal shelter (coop) | 20,000 sq ft, unless Board of Health variance [2] |
| Roosters | Not allowed over 16 weeks old on lots under 80,000 sq ft [3] |
| Max birds on lots under 20,000 sq ft | 12 poultry over 16 weeks (plus up to 25 brooding chicks) [4] |
| Coop setbacks | 10 ft from abutter's line; 100 ft from private well and wetland; 400 ft from public well [6] |
Permit
Dennis regulates backyard poultry through the Board of Health Animal Regulations, approved in October 2010; this is the version the town posts, and it may have been amended since. Poultry includes chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and other domesticated birds. Nobody may keep farm animals, poultry included, without Board of Health approval or a permit. The Poultry Permit is renewed every year by January 1, and its fee may not exceed $5 [1]. For a new coop or other construction, get any zoning approvals before applying to the Board. You'll need to submit a site plan showing the coop and enclosure with setbacks and grades. Your flock can't exceed the number on the permit, though animals up to 3 months old are exempt.
Lot size, numbers and roosters
No animal shelter, such as a coop, may be placed on a lot smaller than 20,000 square feet unless the Board of Health grants a variance [2]. Lots under 80,000 square feet (about 1.8 acres) may not keep a rooster older than 16 weeks [3]. Lots under 20,000 square feet are limited to 12 poultry over 16 weeks old, plus up to 25 brooding chicks [4]. These two rules pull in different directions: one bars a coop on a small lot without a variance, the other assumes small lots can keep birds. Section IV adds that lot size alone shouldn't bar a license if the health rules are reasonably observed [5]. In practice, if your lot is under 20,000 sq ft, expect to apply for a variance and confirm with the Board of Health. The regulation sets no fixed cap for larger lots beyond the number on your permit.
Coop location and care
Coops must meet the zoning bylaw's dimensional rules and the Board's setback table: 10 feet from an abutter's property line, 100 feet from a private well or wetland, and 400 feet from a public water supply well [5]. In the Board's distance table, the abutter's-line row reads 25, 10, 10, 25, 10, 25 and 30 feet for barns, coops, kennels, piggeries, rabbitries, stables and manure piles, so the coop figure is 10 feet [6]. A composted manure pile must be 30 feet from the property line. Coops can't be within 200 feet of the high-water mark of waters that feed a drinking-water supply, or (without written Board permission) within 200 feet of a church, school, playground or similar building. Free-range birds must stay on your property, enclosures can't use barbed wire, and coops must be kept clean and free of rodents. Manure must be composted or stored for no more than two weeks.
Other animals
Goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits and horses also need Board of Health permits and have their own setbacks (25 feet from the abutter's line for barns and stables).
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Next steps
- Confirm your lot size: 20,000 sq ft or more for a coop without a variance, and 80,000 sq ft or more if you want a rooster.
- Draw a site plan showing the coop and run with distances to lot lines (10 ft), wells and wetlands (100 ft).
- Apply to the Dennis Board of Health (Health Department, 508-760-6158) for a Poultry Permit, or a variance if your lot is under 20,000 sq ft.
- Renew the permit every year by January 1.
Common questions
- Can I have chickens in Dennis, MA?
- Yes, with a Board of Health Poultry Permit, renewed every January 1, with a fee of no more than $5. The rules date from 2010 and may have been amended since.
- Can I keep chickens on a small lot in Dennis, Massachusetts?
- It's unclear. A coop isn't allowed on a lot under 20,000 sq ft without a Board of Health variance, yet the same rules let those lots keep up to 12 birds (plus up to 25 brooding chicks). Small-lot owners should ask the Board about a variance first.
- Are roosters allowed in Dennis, MA?
- Only on larger lots. Roosters over 16 weeks old aren't allowed on lots under 80,000 sq ft.
- How far does a chicken coop need to be from the property line in Dennis, Massachusetts?
- At least 10 feet from the abutter's line, 100 feet from a private well or wetland, and 400 feet from a public well.
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 VIII, 8.1 Permit, Board of Health Animal Regulations (approved Oct 14, 2010), p. 8
The permit shall be renewed annually by January 1st. The following permits shall be required: Permit Type Required for: Stable All farm animals Farm Animal All farm animals except equines Poultry Poultry only The Board of Health shall set the fees for these permits annually. The Poultry Permit fee shall not exceed $5.00.
- Section 3.2(a) Minimum Lot Size, Board of Health Animal Regulations (approved Oct 14, 2010), p. 4
No animal shelter shall be located on any lot having less than twenty thousand square feet (20,000 ft2) of area, unless a variance is granted by the Board of Health.
- Section 3.2(b), Board of Health Animal Regulations (approved Oct 14, 2010), p. 4
Property of less than eighty thousand square feet (80,000 ft2) shall not keep a rooster over the age of 16 weeks.
- Section 3.2(c), Board of Health Animal Regulations (approved Oct 14, 2010), p. 4
Property of less than twenty thousand square feet (20,000 ft2) shall not keep more than 12 poultry or fowl over the age of 16 weeks with the exception of brooding chicks in number up to but not in excess of 25.
- Section IV Setbacks for Animal Shelters, Board of Health Animal Regulations (approved Oct 14, 2010), p. 5
All animal shelters and enclosures shall comply with the dimensional requirements of the Town of Dennis Zoning Bylaws and with the setbacks contained in the following table. A site plan of the property showing the proposed location of the animal shelters and enclosure, including setbacks and grades, shall be submitted for review and approval. Lot size alone shall not constitute an affective bar to the issuance of a license provided the Health regulations are observed reasonably well and the Board of Health shall reserve the right to review health conditions on any proposed or existing sites where animals have been or shall be kept.
- Section IV, Minimum Distance Requirements table (Abutter's Property Line row), Board of Health Animal Regulations (approved Oct 14, 2010), p. 5
Abutter’s Property 25 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. 25 ft. 10 ft. 25 ft. 30 ft.