Can I keep backyard chickens in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts?
In Single Residence Districts A, B, C and E, you can keep poultry with an annual Keeping of Animals permit from the Board of Health. Zoning doesn't allow keeping livestock or poultry in Residence Districts D1 and D2, the General District, the Town Center or Harbor's Edge. Coops must be at least 15 feet from property lines and 20 feet from a neighbor's house.
| Allowed districts | A, B, C, E and Limited Commercial (as regulated by Board of Health); not D1, D2, G, Town Center or Harbor's Edge [1] |
| Permit | Annual Keeping of Animals permit from the Board of Health (May 1 to April 30) [2] |
| Permit threshold | Any number of poultry kept outside a dwelling [3] |
| Coop setback from property line | 15 ft [4] |
| Coop setback from abutting house | 20 ft [4] |
| Setback from wetlands and wells | 100 ft [5] |
| Run/manure area from lot line or street | 50 ft [6] |
| Max number of hens | No fixed limit found; space guideline 3-4 sq ft housing and 10 sq ft yard per hen [7] |
Where zoning allows poultry
The Zoning By-law's use table lists "the raising or keeping of livestock, including poultry, horses, or cows as regulated by the Board of Health." It's marked "BOH" in Single Residence Districts A, B, C and E and the Limited Commercial District, and "N" (not allowed) in Residence Districts D1 and D2, the General District, the Town Center and Harbor's Edge [1]. Check your zoning district before buying birds.
Board of Health permit
The Board of Health's Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (effective April 1, 2023) require a Keeping of Animals permit for poultry, renewed every year from May 1 to April 30 [2]. A permit is needed for even one bird kept outside the house [3]. The application needs a plan showing the coop, run and manure storage, lot lines, abutting streets, and any septic system, well, watercourse or wetland within 100 feet, plus arrangements for manure disposal.
Where the coop can go
- Coops and other animal structures must be at least 15 feet from any property line and 20 feet from an abutting house, and must also meet zoning accessory-structure setbacks, even if no building permit is needed [4]. Poultry structures that existed before March 2023 are exempt from this rule.
- The coop must be on well-drained land at least 100 feet from wetlands and wells [5].
- Manure storage areas and runs must be 50 feet from a lot line or public way and 100 feet from wetlands or wells [6].
- Nothing can sit over a septic leach field.
Numbers, roosters and care
The regulations set no maximum flock size and don't mention roosters. Instead they require adequate space, suggesting 3-4 sq ft of housing and 10 sq ft of exercise yard per hen [7]. Birds can't roam off your property, feed must be kept in sealed containers, and coop manure must be removed at least every other day. The Board of Health can grant variances for hardship.
Other animals
The same permit covers goats, sheep, pigs, horses and other livestock. Stables also need a separate annual stable license.
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Next steps
- Confirm your zoning district with the Building Department (978-526-2010); poultry isn't allowed in Districts D1, D2, G, Town Center or Harbor's Edge.
- Draw a plan showing the coop, run, manure storage, lot lines, streets, and any septic, well, stream or wetland within 100 feet.
- Apply to the Board of Health for a Keeping of Animals permit and pay the fee it sets; renew each year by May 1.
- Site the coop at least 15 ft from lot lines, 20 ft from a neighbor's house and 100 ft from wetlands and wells; keep the run 50 ft from lot lines.
Common questions
- Can I keep chickens in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts?
- It depends on the district. In Single Residence Districts A, B, C and E you can keep poultry with an annual Keeping of Animals permit from the Board of Health. It isn't allowed in Districts D1 and D2, the General District, the Town Center or Harbor's Edge.
- How far must a chicken coop be from my neighbor in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts?
- Coops must be at least 15 feet from property lines and 20 feet from a neighbor's house.
- How many hens can I have in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts?
- No fixed limit was found, but a permit is needed for any number of poultry kept outside a dwelling.
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 4 Table of Use Regulations, C. Agricultural Uses 3, Zoning By-law (compilation dated April 27, 2026), p. 22
3. The raising or keeping of livestock, including poultry, horses, or cows as BOH BOH BOH N N BOH N BOH N N regulated by the Board of Health.
- Section 4.1 Keeping of Animals Permit, Board of Health Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (February 2023), p. 2
4.1 A Keeping of Animals permit issued by the Board of Health shall be required for the keeping of domesticated animals, livestock and poultry by the owner. A permit shall be renewed annually. The length of the permit will be 12 months with the permits issued on May 1st and expiring on April 30th of the following year.
- Section 4.2, Board of Health Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (February 2023), p. 2
4.2 A permit is required for any one (1) or more domesticated animals including any number of poultry sheltered outside a dwelling.
- Section 7.5 Location, Board of Health Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (February 2023), p. 6
At no point will a structure, animal housing, equipment facility or storage of food, manure or other accessory to the keeping of animals be closer than 15 feet to a property line or within 20 feet of an abutting primary dwelling, except for poultry structures that existed prior to March 2023.
- Section 7.1 Location, Board of Health Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (February 2023), p. 5
The facility shall be at least 100 (one hundred) feet from any wetland and 100 (one hundred) feet from any well.
- Section 7.2 Location, Board of Health Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (February 2023), p. 5
7.2 No manure storage area, paddock, corral, run, pasture shall be located within: a. 100 (one hundred) feet of wetlands or watercourse as defined by MGL ch. 131, s. 40 b. 50 (fifty) feet of a lot line or public way
- Section 7.4 Suggested Space and Housing Guidelines, Board of Health Minimum Standards for Keeping of Animals (February 2023), p. 5
Hen 3- 4 sq. ft. 10 sq. ft. ---