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Backyard Chickens in Massachusetts: rules in 21 towns compared
Can I keep backyard chickens? Here's how each town answers it. Click a town for the details and the exact bylaw text.
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This page is for Massachusetts residents who want a few backyard hens. There's no statewide right to keep chickens: how many you can have, whether roosters are allowed and where the coop goes are all set locally, through your town's zoning bylaw and its Board of Health regulations. Under M.G.L. c. 111, §31, boards of health may adopt reasonable health regulations, and many use that power to require a permit to keep poultry. The state's agricultural zoning protection in c. 40A, §3 covers commercial farms, not a typical backyard flock, and your town's animal inspector may contact flock owners for the annual barn census.
Of the 21 towns we cover for this topic, most allow hens in at least some residential areas. Belmont, Carlisle, Concord, Needham, Wayland, Wellesley, Weston and Winchester require a Board of Health permit for any flock, while Lexington, Hingham, Cohasset and Chatham let you keep a small flock without one. Lincoln and Scituate allow household poultry by right under zoning. Caps run from 6 hens in Belmont to 12 in Sudbury, and Wayland and Winchester ban roosters. Large setbacks or lot minimums make hens hard on smaller lots in Brookline, Chatham and Hamilton, and Swampscott's bylaws don't address chickens at all. Pick your town below for the details and the bylaw text.
Town-by-town comparison
| Town | Verdict | Short answer |
|---|---|---|
| Wellesley | Allowed with a permit | Yes, but only with a Board of Health permit, granted after a public hearing that you must notify abutters about by certified mail. Birds must be kept at least 100 ft from a neighbor's house and 50 ft from any street, and roosters need an annual hearing. |
| Weston | Allowed with a permit | Likely yes, with a license from the Weston Board of Health. Keeping poultry counts as farming, which Weston's zoning allows by right in Single Family Residence Districts, and the Board of Health requires an annual livestock license that expires December 31. The sources we reviewed don't set a hen limit, rooster rules or coop setbacks, so ask the Board of Health (781-786-5030). |
| Lexington | Allowed | Yes, for a small flock. Lexington's Board of Health regulations require a permit only to keep more than five small animals such as chickens, and that permit needs at least two acres. Any fowl whose crowing disturbs neighbors is prohibited, which in practice rules out most roosters. |
| Concord | Allowed with a permit | Yes, with a Board of Health permit, renewed every May 31. The permit sets how many birds you may keep (there's no fixed number in the regulation); roosters are allowed only if the permit says so, and birds may not roam off your property. |
| Brookline | Restricted | Possibly, but it's hard on a typical Brookline lot. You need a Keeping of Animals permit from the Public Health Department, with Building Department zoning sign-off and a public hearing; typical conditions allow up to 12 hens, no roosters, in a fully covered pen. The 2018 zoning bylaw we have (§4.07, Use 57) also requires any coop or enclosure to be at least 100 feet from neighboring homes, and in single- and two-family districts 100 feet from the street, which many lots can't meet. |
| Needham | Allowed with a permit | Yes, with a Keeping of Animals permit from the Needham Public Health Department. The base allowance is one Animal Unit, which equals 4 chickens; more need approval, roosters need a specific permit, and the coop and run must sit at least 30 ft from side and rear lot lines and 50 ft from any neighboring house. |
| Sudbury | Allowed with board review | Probably, but check two approvals first. Sudbury's Zoning Bylaw lets the Zoning Board of Appeals grant a special permit for nonexempt raising of poultry, though its use table lists nonexempt agriculture as allowed in residential districts, so ask the Building Department which applies. Board of Health rules cap a residential flock at 12 birds over 16 weeks old, require the coop to be at least 50 feet from any dwelling or property line, and ban roosters on lots of 2 acres or less. |
| Wayland | Allowed with a permit | Yes, with an annual Board of Health animal-keeping permit. Lots under 1 acre may keep up to 6 chickens and lots of 1 acre or more up to 12. Roosters are not allowed, and the flock must be kept at least 150 feet from a neighbor's house and 25 feet from property and street lines. |
| Lincoln | Allowed | Yes. Lincoln's zoning bylaw allows residents to keep farm animals, including poultry, for their own use by right, with no special permit. The town asks new owners to notify its animal control officer, and the premises are inspected once a year. Coops count as structures, so they must be at least 50 feet from the street and at least 20 feet from side and rear lot lines. |
| Belmont | Allowed with a permit | Yes, with a Keeping of Animals permit from the Belmont Board of Health. You can keep up to 6 chickens or ducks per household; roosters need a specific permit, and the coop must be at least 10 ft from side and rear lot lines and 40 ft from any neighbor's house. Zoning lists "keeping of livestock" as needing a special permit in residential districts, so ask the Building Division whether that applies to hens. |
| Winchester | Allowed with a permit | Yes, hens are allowed with a Board of Health permit. You need at least 6,500 sq ft of lot for 3 hens (up to 6 on larger lots in most residential zones); roosters are banned, and the coop must be in the backyard at least 10 ft from lot lines and 20 ft from any home. |
| Hingham | Allowed | Yes. Under Hingham's Board of Health animal regulation, 10 chickens count as one "animal unit," and a Keeping of Animals Permit is needed only at 1.5 animal units (15 or more chickens). Roosters always need a specific permit, and coops need at least 3 sq ft of floor space per bird. |
| Cohasset | Restricted | Under Cohasset's Board of Public Health animal regulations, you can keep up to 11 hens without a permit; 12 or more hens, or any rooster, needs a Keeping of Animals and Stable Permit. The regulations also say a coop must be at least 30 ft from property lines and 100 ft from any dwelling, well or wetland, which many smaller lots can't meet, so confirm with the Board how these setbacks apply to your flock. |
| Manchester-by-the-Sea | Depends on your zone | 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. |
| Nantucket | Allowed with a permit | Yes, with a permit. Nantucket's Board of Health requires a permit to keep hens (or ducks, goats, cows or swine) anywhere in town; the permit costs $5 a year and expires every April 30. |
| Chatham | Restricted | Yes, with limits. Chatham's Board of Health lets you keep up to 10 hens without a permit (roosters always need one), but any coop must be on a lot of at least 40,000 sq ft unless the Board grants a variance. Coops must also sit 40 feet from the neighbor's property line and 30 feet from their house. |
| Falmouth | Allowed | Generally yes. Falmouth's zoning bylaw (November 2022 version, which may have changed) allows agriculture, including keeping poultry for the household's own use, in all residence districts. A Board of Health poultry regulation, posted only as a draft and not confirmed as adopted, would put coops and runs at least 50 feet from a neighbor's house and 10 feet from the property line, with 10 sq ft per bird. |
| Scituate | Allowed | 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. |
| Swampscott | Not specifically regulated | Swampscott's zoning bylaw and general bylaws that we reviewed don't specifically regulate backyard chickens, and we found no Board of Health animal-keeping regulation. Contact the Swampscott Health Department before getting hens. |
| Hamilton | Restricted | Possibly, on larger lots. Hamilton's zoning bylaw allows buildings for keeping poultry for the household's own use on residential lots of at least 80,000 square feet (about 1.8 acres), licensed by the Board of Health and set at least 50 feet from every lot line. Keeping poultry for anyone other than the household needs a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals. |
| Carlisle | Allowed with a permit | Yes. Carlisle zoning allows agricultural uses, including poultry, as of right in its residential districts, but you need an annual written permit from the Board of Health to keep any livestock, which includes poultry. Manure piles must be at least 40 feet from the lot line, and roosters can't unreasonably disturb neighbors between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. |
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).
Common questions about chicken laws in Massachusetts
- Can I have chickens in Massachusetts?
- It depends on your town. Massachusetts has no statewide right to keep backyard hens, so your town's zoning bylaw and Board of Health regulations decide whether you can keep them, how many and where the coop goes. Most towns we cover allow hens in at least some residential areas.
- Do you need a permit to have chickens in Massachusetts?
- Often, yes. There's no state permit, but many local boards of health require a permit to keep poultry under M.G.L. c. 111, §31. Some towns require one for any flock, while others exempt a small flock, so check your town's Board of Health rules.
- How many chickens can you have in Massachusetts?
- It depends on your town. No state law sets a hen limit. Among the towns we cover, some set fixed caps, some tie the number to lot size, and others let the Board of Health set the number in your permit.
- Are roosters illegal in Massachusetts?
- Not under state law, but many towns restrict them. Some towns we cover ban roosters outright, and others allow one only with a specific Board of Health permit that neighbor noise complaints can end.
- Does the Massachusetts right-to-farm protection cover backyard chickens?
- Usually no. The agricultural protection in c. 40A, §3 is for commercial agriculture, and towns may limit it to parcels of 5 acres or more, or 2 acres or more with at least $1,000 per acre a year in sales. A typical backyard flock doesn't qualify.
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