Massachusetts Cities and Towns That Allow Backyard Chickens

Backyard chickens are legal in dozens of Massachusetts cities and towns that allow backyard chickens, but there is no single statewide “yes.” Under the state’s Home Rule framework, every municipality writes its own flock-size caps, setback distances, permit requirements, and fees, and the rules can change at the town line. Before you buy chicks, confirm what your specific city or town requires — otherwise you risk fines, forced removal of birds, or a permit process you didn’t budget for.

Why the Rules Change Town by Town

Two local bodies typically control backyard poultry in Massachusetts. Under M.G.L. ch. 111, § 31, each local Board of Health can issue binding health regulations covering sanitation, odor, pest control, and animal-disease prevention, and violations carry fines of up to $1,000.¹ Separately, local zoning boards decide which residential districts permit hens at all and whether you need a special permit or can keep birds by right. A homeowner on one side of a town border may keep a dozen hens freely while a neighbor across the street needs a permit for six.

Town-by-Town Rules

The municipalities below have clear legal pathways for keeping backyard poultry. It’s not a complete list — many smaller towns also allow hens, and ordinances change. Always confirm current rules with your local Board of Health or zoning office before buying birds.

Boston

Boston regulates urban farming through Article 89 of its zoning code, which covers the keeping of animals as an accessory use on residential lots. Activities under Article 89 must be approved by the Inspectional Services Department.² Residents can keep a maximum of six adult hens plus six replacement chicks or pullets per lot. Coops and runs must sit in the rear yard, set back at least five feet from property lines unless a solid barrier exists. No roosters.³

Cambridge

Cambridge issues henkeeping permits through its Public Health Department and renews them annually. Applications require a diagram showing coop and run locations, a manure and pest management plan, signed property-owner consent if you rent, and documentation that you notified your abutters.⁴ The process is one of the more thorough in the state, so allow several weeks for review.

Somerville

Somerville adopted a formal Urban Agriculture Ordinance and separate Board of Health regulations covering backyard poultry. Residents can obtain a chicken-keeping license through the city’s urban agriculture program, which publishes application forms and a plain-language rules guide.⁵

Northampton

Northampton allows six or fewer adult female chickens as an accessory use without a special permit. Coops must sit at least four feet from property boundaries and ten feet from any residential structure on an abutting parcel. Stormwater runoff from the coop, run, and compost area has to stay on your property, and on-site slaughtering is prohibited.⁶

Pittsfield

Pittsfield allows up to six hens for noncommercial purposes as a by-right use in residential zones. Coops must be at least 20 feet from any habitable building on your own lot, 40 feet from a habitable building on a neighboring lot, and 10 feet from property lines. Enclosures must also stay 40 feet from wellheads or open water.⁷ The city charges a $25 annual permit fee.

Newton

Newton requires a license from the Health and Human Services Department for anyone keeping animals or live fowl. The application specifies the number and type of birds, and the department can attach conditions. Coop placement rules include minimum distances from drinking water sources and wells.⁸

Brookline

Brookline permits up to 12 chickens, no roosters. The town requires an enclosed coop and pen, and applicants go through the Board of Health for permit conditions.⁹

Lowell

Lowell prohibits keeping fowl without a Board of Health license. The Board sets conditions for enclosure location and maintenance.¹⁰

Springfield

Springfield regulates chickens under Chapter 110 of its city code. A permit is required, and the city will not issue one unless the applicant is in compliance with local and state law.¹¹

Worcester, Amherst, Salem, and Smaller Towns

Worcester requires a Board of Health license for keeping animals. Amherst allows hens by right in its lower-density residential districts, requires a special permit in village-center and neighborhood zones, and prohibits poultry entirely in its general residential district. Salem adopted an urban agriculture ordinance in 2022 that addresses backyard poultry. Many smaller towns also permit hens; the Mass.gov page on backyard chicken laws confirms that poultry is regulated town by town and directs residents to check their local bylaws.¹²

Patterns That Repeat Across Municipalities

Every municipality writes its own code, but certain rules show up almost everywhere. Knowing the patterns helps you estimate what your town likely expects before you dig into the ordinance.

Flock Size and Rooster Bans

Most towns cap residential flocks somewhere between six and twelve hens. Boston, Pittsfield, and Northampton all set the line at six adult hens; Brookline allows up to twelve. Nearly every municipality that permits hens explicitly bans roosters in residential zones.

Setback Distances

Setbacks vary widely, and this is where people most often get tripped up. Boston requires five feet from property lines.³ Northampton requires four feet from property boundaries and ten feet from a neighbor’s house.⁶ Pittsfield is stricter: 20 feet from habitable buildings on your own lot and 40 feet from neighboring buildings.⁷ A coop layout that’s legal in one city can violate the code two towns over.

Fees and Fines

Annual permit or license fees generally run $15 to $50 for a straightforward application. Towns that require a special permit or zoning variance can charge significantly more, and a special-permit application fee can exceed $200 if your property sits in a zone where chickens aren’t allowed by right. On the enforcement side, violating a local Board of Health regulation can result in a fine of up to $1,000.¹ In practice, many towns start with a warning notice and escalate to daily fines if you don’t correct the violation, and animal control may order the removal of birds kept illegally.

The Agricultural Exemption Usually Won’t Help

People sometimes hear that state law protects agricultural uses from local zoning. That’s technically true, but the exemption is narrower than it sounds. M.G.L. ch. 40A, § 3 prevents local zoning from prohibiting or unreasonably regulating land used for commercial agriculture, but municipalities can limit that protection to parcels of five acres or more, or two acres if the land generates at least $1,000 per acre in annual gross sales.¹³ A typical suburban quarter-acre lot with a small coop won’t meet those thresholds. Don’t count on this exemption to override your town’s chicken rules.

HOA and Deed Restrictions Can Still Block You

Even if your city’s zoning code permits chickens, a homeowner association covenant or deed restriction can still prohibit them. These private agreements are legally enforceable. In Grigg v. LeClair (2022), a Massachusetts Appeals Court case, prospective buyers lost a $97,500 deposit in a dispute over a subdivision covenant that banned poultry on the property, even though local zoning would have allowed it.¹² Before investing in a coop, pull your deed and review your HOA’s governing documents. If a restriction exists, you’d need the HOA to amend its bylaws, which typically requires a proposal, a community vote, and whatever supermajority the governing documents demand.

How to Apply for a Poultry Permit

The specifics vary by town, but the process most Massachusetts municipalities follow looks like this:

Check your zoning district. Look up whether your property is in a zone where poultry is allowed by right, requires a special permit, or is prohibited. Your town clerk or zoning office can tell you, and many towns post zoning maps online.
Review Board of Health regulations. Even in zones where poultry is allowed, the Board of Health sets the sanitary standards. Find these on your town’s website or request a copy from the Health Department.
Prepare a site plan. Most applications require a drawing showing your lot, the proposed coop and run locations, and distances to property lines and neighboring buildings. Cambridge, for example, requires a detailed diagram along with a manure management plan and proof that you notified abutters.⁴
Submit the application and pay the fee. Applications go to the Board of Health, Inspectional Services, or both, depending on the municipality. Expect a site inspection before approval.
Request a variance if needed. If your lot is too small or the only feasible coop location falls within a setback, you may need to appear at a public hearing before the Zoning Board of Appeals. Bring your site plan and be prepared to explain how your setup won’t harm the neighborhood.

Permits are typically renewed annually. Keep your coop clean and your neighbors on your side. Complaints are the most common trigger for code enforcement visits, and a well-maintained flock on good terms with the people next door is the best insurance against losing your permit.

1
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 111 Section 31
2
Boston Planning and Development Agency. Article 89 – Urban Agriculture
3
City of Boston. Live Fowl Permit Information
4
Cambridge Public Health Department. Henkeeping
5
City of Somerville. The Mayor’s Urban Agriculture Initiative
6
City of Northampton. City of Northampton Code Section 350-5.3 – Use Regulations
7
City of Pittsfield. City of Pittsfield Code Article V – Chickens
8
City of Newton. Rules and Regulations for the Keeping of Animals and Live Fowl
9
Town of Brookline. Requirements for the Keeping of Animals and Fowl
10
City of Lowell. Chapter 104 Animals – Article III Keeping Animals and Fowl
11
City of Springfield. City of Springfield Code Chapter 110 – Animals
12
Mass.gov. Massachusetts Law About Backyard Chickens
13
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40A Section 3