Can I keep backyard chickens in Plymouth, Massachusetts?
Yes. Plymouth's Board of Health poultry rules allow backyard hens with no permit or flock-size limit, but roosters are banned. Coops must be at least 10 feet from your property lines and from any road, and manure must be kept at least 20 feet from property lines.
| Roosters | Not allowed [2] |
| Coop setback | 10 feet from property lines and 10 feet from a traveled way [4] |
| Manure storage | 20 ft from property line, 50 ft from wells, 100 ft from public water supply waterbodies [5] |
| Noise limit | Poultry noise may not be clearly audible 25 ft beyond the property line [3] |
| Max number of hens | No number stated [1] |
| Fines | Warning, then $25, $50, and $100 for each later violation [6] |
| Zoning | Agriculture (defined to include poultry) is allowed by right in all districts, including lots under 3 acres; backyard flocks aren't addressed separately [8] |
What the Board of Health allows
Plymouth regulates backyard birds through the Board of Health's Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, adopted April 12, 2017. "Poultry" covers turkeys, hens, chickens, roosters, guinea hens, ducks and geese [1]. The rules ban roosters outright [2] but set no limit on the number of hens and don't require a permit to keep them. Birds must stay on your property and can't roam onto neighbors' land or roads.
Coops, runs and manure
Any coop, shed, hutch or other poultry building must be at least 10 feet from your property line and 10 feet from a traveled way, built durably and designed to keep rodents out [4]. Manure and soiled bedding must be kept at least 20 feet from the property line, 50 feet from drinking-water wells and 100 feet from waterbodies feeding public water supplies [5]. Feed must be stored in a tightly covered, vermin-proof plastic or metal container.
Nuisances and enforcement
It's a violation if poultry noise is clearly audible 25 feet beyond your property line, if persistent odors carry past the line, or if the setup attracts vermin [3]. After a warning, fines run $25 for a second violation and $50 for a third within 12 months, then $100 each [6]. If problems continue, the Health Agent can order you to reduce the flock or remove the birds [7].
Zoning
The zoning bylaw defines agriculture as farming in all its branches, including raising poultry, performed by a farmer [9], and its use table lists agriculture, even on lots under 3 acres, as allowed by right in every district [8]. The bylaw doesn't separately address a non-commercial backyard flock, so the Board of Health rules are the main local rules for hens. Larger livestock such as horses fall under separate Board of Health rules that require a permit.
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Next steps
- Pick a coop spot at least 10 feet from every property line and from any road, and a manure/compost spot at least 20 feet from the line and 50 feet from any well.
- Plan for hens only; roosters aren't allowed.
- Store feed in a sealed metal or plastic container and clean the coop regularly to avoid odor and rodent complaints.
- Questions go to the Plymouth Department of Public Health (Board of Health).
Common questions
- Can I have chickens in Plymouth, MA?
- Yes. Plymouth's Board of Health poultry rules allow backyard hens with no permit and no stated flock-size limit. Birds must stay on your property and can't roam onto neighbors' land or roads.
- Are roosters allowed in Plymouth, Massachusetts?
- No. Plymouth's Board of Health poultry rules ban roosters outright.
- How far does a chicken coop need to be from the property line in Plymouth, MA?
- At least 10 feet from your property lines and 10 feet from any traveled way. Manure must be kept at least 20 feet from property lines, 50 feet from wells and 100 feet from waterbodies feeding public water supplies.
- What happens if my chickens are too noisy in Plymouth, Massachusetts?
- It's a violation if poultry noise is clearly audible 25 feet beyond your property line. After a warning, fines run $25, then $50, then $100 for each later violation, and the Health Agent can order you to reduce or remove the flock.
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
- Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, Section 1 (Definitions), Board of Health Rules and Regulations (revised May 12, 2017) - incl. Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, p. 21
Poultry - turkeys, hens, chickens, roosters, guinea hens, ducks and geese of any age and sex.
- Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, Section 2, Board of Health Rules and Regulations (revised May 12, 2017) - incl. Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, p. 21
SECTION 2 No person shall keep a rooster.
- Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, Section 4 (Nuisance Prevention), Board of Health Rules and Regulations (revised May 12, 2017) - incl. Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, p. 22
Therefore it shall be a violation of these regulations to allow noise from poultry to be clearly audible at twenty- five (25) feet from the property line of the premises where the poultry is kept. It shall be a violation of these regulations if persistent noxious odors are perceptible beyond the property line of the premises where poultry is kept.
- Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, Section 6 (Structures), Board of Health Rules and Regulations (revised May 12, 2017) - incl. Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, p. 22
Structures. All Structures shall be located a minimum of ten (10) feet from the property line of the premises where the poultry is kept and a minimum of 10 feet from a traveled way. All Structures shall be of durable construction and shall be designed so as to prevent the harborage of rodents.
- Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, Section 6 (Manure Management), Board of Health Rules and Regulations (revised May 12, 2017) - incl. Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, p. 22
Manure Management. All manure, soiled bedding material or waste shall be contained in an area at least twenty (20) feet from the property line of the premises where the poultry is kept and at least fifty (50) feet from potable water wells and at least one hundred (100) feet from waterbodies that contribute to public water supplies.
- Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, Section 7 (Violations), Board of Health Rules and Regulations (revised May 12, 2017) - incl. Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, p. 22
*In the case of a 2nd Violation within twelve (12) months of a previous 1st violation a fine of $25.00 will be issued* *In the case of a 3rd Violation within twelve (12) months of a previous 2nd violation a fine of $50.00 will be issued* *Each Subsequent Violation: $100.00*
- Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, Section 7 (Non-Criminal Disposition), Board of Health Rules and Regulations (revised May 12, 2017) - incl. Rules and Regulations Governing Poultry, p. 23
In the event the owner and/or operator of the property upon which poultry is kept and upon which a violation is found is unwilling or unable to address the nuisance(s) the Health Agent may issue an abatement order requiring a suitable reduction in the number of poultry kept on the property or their removal.
- Use Table, D. Commercial, line 4, Zoning Bylaw of the Town of Plymouth (as amended through October 2025), p. 191
4 Agriculture on less than 3 Acres Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
- §201-3 Definitions, Agriculture, Zoning Bylaw of the Town of Plymouth (as amended through October 2025), p. 6
AGRICULTURE – Farming in all its branches, as defined in G. L. c. 128, §1A, including cultivation and tillage of the soil; dairying; production, cultivation, growing and harvesting of any agricultural, aquacultural, floriculture, viticulture or other horticultural commodity; growing and harvesting of forest products upon forest land; raising of livestock including horses and the keeping of horses as a commercial enterprise, keeping and raising bees, fur-bearing animals, poultry, swine, cattle and any domesticated animal used for food purposes; any forestry or lumbering operations, performed by a Farmer.