Can I keep backyard chickens in Sandwich, Massachusetts?
None of the Sandwich bylaws or Board of Health regulations we reviewed has a specific rule on backyard chickens: no hen limit, rooster ban, coop setback or poultry permit. The Board of Health's stable permit covers horses, sheep, goats, pigs and cattle, not poultry. Ask the Health Department and Building Department before getting hens.
| Backyard poultry rule | None found in zoning, general bylaws or Board of Health regulations [1] |
| Board of Health stable permit covers | Horses, sheep, goats, swine and cattle (not poultry) [1] |
| Stable permit fee | $40 per year [2] |
| Zoning 'farm' | At least 5 acres, used for gain [3] |
| Zoning definition of 'livestock or fowl' | Includes chickens, ducks and geese kept for food or livelihood [4] |
No backyard-poultry rule
We didn't find a Sandwich rule written for backyard hens in the Protective Zoning By-law, the general bylaws, or the Board of Health's regulations (revised 2023). Nothing sets a number of hens, bans roosters, sets coop setbacks or requires a poultry permit.
What the Board of Health regulates
The Board of Health's Stable/Livestock Regulation defines livestock as horses, sheep, goats, swine and bovine animals only [1]. Anyone keeping those animals needs an annual stable permit ($40 per year) [2], and stables must be set back from water supplies, wells and wetlands. Chickens aren't on that list. They appear in the Board of Health regulations only in a nitrogen-loading table.
What zoning says about farm animals
The zoning bylaw defines a farm as premises of at least five acres used for gain in raising agricultural products or livestock [3]. Farms are allowed by right in every district. The bylaw also defines "livestock or fowl" to include chickens, ducks and geese kept for food or a livelihood [4], but the use regulations we reviewed don't apply that term to backyard flocks. The bylaw's general definition of agriculture includes keeping and raising poultry, but no section sets rules for a backyard flock. Stables accessory to a home are listed separately in the use table, with limits on horses for lots under 1 acre.
What this means
Because the town's documents are silent, whether a few backyard hens on a typical lot are allowed comes down to how town staff read the zoning bylaw's accessory-use rules. Nuisance (odor, noise) complaints can still go to the Board of Health. Statewide rules on poultry are summarized separately on this page.
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Next steps
- Call the Sandwich Health Department (Board of Health) to ask whether a backyard flock needs any permit or registration, and whether the town's Animal Inspector does annual barn checks.
- Email the Building Department (setbacks@sandwichmass.org, 508-888-4200) to ask whether hens and a coop are allowed as an accessory use on your lot and what setbacks apply to the coop.
- If your property is north of Route 6, ask Planning & Development (508-833-8001) whether a visible coop needs Historic District Committee approval.
Common questions
- Can I have backyard chickens in Sandwich, Massachusetts?
- It isn't clearly addressed. None of the Sandwich bylaws or Board of Health regulations we reviewed has a specific rule on backyard chickens: no hen limit, rooster ban, coop setback or poultry permit. Ask the Health Department and Building Department before getting hens.
- Do I need a permit for chickens in Sandwich, MA?
- No poultry permit was found. The Board of Health's stable permit covers horses, sheep, goats, pigs and cattle, not poultry. Ask the Health Department whether a backyard flock needs any permit or registration.
- Are roosters allowed in Sandwich, Massachusetts?
- Sandwich's bylaws and Board of Health regulations we reviewed don't address roosters or backyard flocks. Ask the Health Department and Building Department, and nuisance complaints such as noise or odor can still go to the Board of Health.
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
- Stable/Livestock Regulations, Definitions, Board of Health Regulations, Policies and Clarification of Policies (revised August 14, 2023), p. 55
LIVESTOCK: Any horse, sheep, goat, swine or bovine animal of any age or sex.
- Stable/Livestock Regulations, Permits, Board of Health Regulations, Policies and Clarification of Policies (revised August 14, 2023), p. 55
The permit fee shall be FortyDollars ($40.00) per year.
- Article VIII Definitions, Farm, Protective Zoning By-law (May 2025 edition), p. 86
FARM - Premises, including necessary structures and equipment, containing at least five acres, which are used for gain in the raising of agricultural products, or livestock, except horses (see stables).
- Article VIII Definitions, Livestock or Fowl, Protective Zoning By-law (May 2025 edition), p. 88
LIVESTOCK OR FOWL - A fowl or other animal kept or propagated by the owner for food or as a means of livelihood, cow, bison, deer, elk, pig, boar, cottontail rabbit, northern hare, chicken, duck, goose, pheasant, quail, partridge and other birds and quadrupeds determined by the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Environmental Law Enforcement to be wild and kept by or under a permit from, the department in proper houses or suitable enclosed yards; provided, however, that “livestock or fowl” shall not include dog, cat or other pet not bred for profit.