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 larger farms across Plymouth County.
Whether a household may keep hens is set by the town zoning bylaw, not the county. Brockton limits poultry on small residential lots, while rural Plymouth, Middleborough, and Wareham parcels allow chickens 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 commercial farming even where residential zoning would otherwise restrict it. 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 North Plymouth's chickens & livestock rules stack up against other locations.
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