Backyard chickens are allowed subject to each town's zoning bylaw. MGL c.40A §3 bars towns from zoning out commercial agriculture on parcels of five acres, or two acres earning $1,000 per acre, protecting the working farms of the Connecticut River valley.
Whether a household may keep hens is set by the town zoning bylaw, not a county. Northampton and Amherst allow limited backyard hens under local rules, while rural Belchertown, Ware, and the valley farm town of Hadley are more permissive about poultry and other livestock. Above the local rules sits a statewide floor: MGL c.40A §3 forbids a zoning bylaw from prohibiting agriculture on a parcel of more than five acres, or two acres or more if the farm generates at least $1,000 per acre in sales. That protects the valley's commercial farms even where residential zoning would otherwise restrict use. Roosters can still be curbed as a noise nuisance.
Keeping poultry against a town zoning bylaw draws a zoning-enforcement order and fines from the building department. Farms meeting the c.40A §3 acreage thresholds are exempt from such use restrictions.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Hampshire County's chickens & livestock rules stack up against other locations.
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