Can I keep backyard chickens in Scituate, Massachusetts?
Yes. Scituate's zoning bylaw allows keeping animals, livestock or poultry for personal enjoyment or household use as an accessory use in residential districts, and the bylaws we reviewed set no limit on the number of hens and no rooster ban. A coop is an accessory building, so it should meet the zoning setbacks (15 ft side and rear in R-1 and R-2, 8 ft in R-3); check with the Board of Health, which may have its own rules.
| Backyard poultry | Allowed as a residential accessory use (household use or enjoyment) [1] |
| Zoning districts | Residential accessory uses allowed as of right in R-1, R-2 and R-3 [2] |
| Max number of hens | No limit found in the bylaws [1] |
| Coop setback (one-story detached accessory building) | 15 ft side/rear in R-1 and R-2; 8 ft in R-3 [5] |
| Commercial poultry farm | Lot of 3+ acres [3] |
| Commercial poultry building setback | 50 ft from side/rear lot lines and street [7] |
| Animal Control Board | Permit-granting authority for the Animal Control By-law, which lists chickens as 'regulated animals' [6] |
Allowed for household use
Scituate's zoning bylaw defines "residential accessory use" to include the keeping of animals, livestock or poultry for personal enjoyment or household use [1]. Residential accessory uses are allowed as of right in the R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts [2]. The bylaws we reviewed don't cap the number of hens, ban roosters, or require a permit for a small backyard flock.
Commercial flocks
A commercial poultry or livestock farm is allowed only on a lot of three acres or more, and any building housing poultry must be at least 50 feet from side and rear lot lines and the street [7]. If you plan to sell eggs or birds on a larger scale, this rule applies rather than the household-use allowance.
Coop placement
The bylaw doesn't set a coop-specific setback. A coop is treated like other accessory buildings, which must be at least 30 feet from the street; in R-1 and R-2 a one-story detached accessory building must be 15 feet from side and rear lines, and in R-3, 8 feet [5]. Keep the coop clean to avoid odor or noise complaints.
Animal Control By-law
Scituate's general Animal Control By-law lists chickens, ducks, pigeons and other fowl among "regulated animals" kept outside homes in town [4]. The Animal Control Board is the permit-granting authority under that bylaw [6], but the bylaw's licensing rules we found apply to dogs and kennels, not hens. The town also takes an annual census of animals through the state animal inspector program (see state rules on this page).
Board of Health
In Massachusetts, poultry is often regulated by local Board of Health rules. We didn't find a Scituate Board of Health animal-keeping regulation online, so call the Board of Health before buying birds.
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Next steps
- Call the Scituate Board of Health (781-545-8725) to ask whether any permit, flock limit or rooster rule applies to your property.
- Site the coop behind the 30-ft street setback and at least 15 ft (R-1/R-2) or 8 ft (R-3) from side and rear lot lines.
- If you plan a commercial operation, confirm your lot is 3+ acres and keep poultry buildings 50 ft from lot lines and the street.
Common questions
- Can I keep chickens in Scituate, Massachusetts?
- Yes. The zoning bylaw allows keeping poultry for personal enjoyment or household use as an accessory use in residential districts. Check with the Board of Health, which may have its own rules.
- How many hens can I have in Scituate, Massachusetts?
- The bylaws reviewed set no limit on the number of hens. The Board of Health may have its own rules, so check with it.
- Are roosters allowed in Scituate, Massachusetts?
- The bylaws reviewed have no rooster ban. The Animal Control By-law lists chickens as regulated animals, so check with the town.
- How far must a chicken coop be from the property line in Scituate, Massachusetts?
- A coop is an accessory building, so it should meet zoning setbacks: 15 ft side and rear in R-1 and R-2, and 8 ft in R-3.
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
- Sec. 430.2(A)(3) (Residential Accessory Use), Zoning Bylaw (including changes approved by April 13, 2026 Annual Town Meeting; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 27
3. The keeping of animals, livestock or poultry for personal enjoyment or household use.
- Sec. 420 (Table of Use Regulations, 1.C), Zoning Bylaw (including changes approved by April 13, 2026 Annual Town Meeting; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 23
C. Residential Accessory use Y Y Y Y
- Sec. 420 (Table of Use Regulations, 2.B), Zoning Bylaw (including changes approved by April 13, 2026 Annual Town Meeting; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 23
B. Commercial dairy, poultry or livestock farm on a lot containing three acres or more (but not including a piggery,
- Sec. 30420 (Definitions, Regulated Animals), Code of General Bylaws (revisions voted at ATM April 13, 2026; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 56
"Regulated Animals" - Swine, horses, cows, goats, sheep, burros, Hamas, deer, chicken, ducks, pigeons or other fowl, or other farm or domesticated animals stabled outside homes within the Town.
- Sec. 620.3 (Setback table), Zoning Bylaw (including changes approved by April 13, 2026 Annual Town Meeting; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 113
R-1 and R-2 15 feet 15 feet for one story detached accessory buildings. 30 feet for all other buildings. R-3 8 feet 8 feet for one story detached accessory buildings. 20 feet for all other buildings.
- Sec. 30420 (Definitions, Animal Control Board), Code of General Bylaws (revisions voted at ATM April 13, 2026; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 56
Shall mean the five-member body appointed by the Select Board to oversee the enforcement of the Animal Control Bylaw and to serve as the permit granting authority pursuant to this Chapter.
- Sec. 420 (Table of Use Regulations, 2.B), Zoning Bylaw (including changes approved by April 13, 2026 Annual Town Meeting; AG approved July 9, 2026), p. 23
commercial kennel, or fur farm) provided that any building in which poultry or livestock are housed is not less than fifty feet from side and rear lot lines and the exterior line of any street.