Everett, MA Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 3-32 is a one-sentence rule with a handoff. It prohibits keeping any live fowl or other farm animals in the City of Everett except in accordance with regulations promulgated by the board of health. The ordinance prints no flock size, no coop setback, no rooster rule and no permit fee, and the Revised Ordinances do not reproduce the board of health regulations. Anyone considering chickens or similar animals in Everett needs those regulations from the board of health before buying birds.

Chapter 3 shows what fowl covers. The Section 3-1 definition, written for Article I, describes livestock or fowl as a fowl or other animal kept or propagated by the owner for food or as a means of livelihood, plus deer, elk, cottontail rabbit, northern hare, pheasant, quail, partridge and other birds and quadrupeds determined to be wild and kept by, or under a permit from, the state department in proper houses or suitable enclosed yards. It excludes a dog, cat or other pet.

Other rules reach anyone who keeps animals. Section 3-19 requires owners to give each animal sufficient good and wholesome food and water, proper and sanitary shelter, protection from the weather, and veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering. Section 10-35(d) requires feed for animals and fowl to be stored in rat-free and rat-proof containers, compartments, or rooms, and not left on the ground, on the floor or in feed pans, troughs and other feeder containers any longer than necessary to feed the animals and fowl unless the feeder equipment is made inaccessible to rats. Under Section 3-100, animals includes any live, domesticated mammal, bird, reptile, or amphibian, and Section 3-101 requires every animal breeder in the city, meaning a person who breeds animals with the intention of selling or distributing them for profit, to hold an annual license. Individuals not engaged in commercial breeding operations or the sale of animals are exempt.