Norfolk County does not regulate chickens or livestock. Each town sets its own rules via zoning and board of health regulations. Suburban towns often restrict; rural towns like Medfield and Dover allow chickens.
Chicken and livestock rules in Norfolk County are purely municipal. MGL c. 129 §26B governs state-level poultry sales. Under MGL c. 111 §31, local boards of health may regulate animal-keeping as a public health matter. Suburban Norfolk County towns (Quincy, Brookline, Weymouth, Dedham) generally restrict or require permits for chickens. More rural towns (Medfield, Dover, Sherborn, Walpole, Medway) allow backyard hens with permits, typically 6-12 hens, no roosters, coops with 25-50 ft setbacks from abutters. MGL c. 40 §8L allows towns to adopt Right to Farm bylaws; many Norfolk County towns have done so (Medfield, Walpole, Norfolk, Medway). Larger livestock restricted to agriculturally-zoned parcels.
No county enforcement. Municipal violations: removal order, $50-$500/day nuisance fines under MGL c. 111 §31. Board of health enforcement for sanitary violations.
Wellesley, MA
Wellesley allows garage conversions to ADUs under Wellesley Zoning Bylaw §5.13 (as amended April 15, 2025 by Article 40.1) consistent with Section 8 of the M...
Wellesley, MA
Wellesley regulates ADUs under Section 5.13 of the Wellesley Zoning Bylaw. At the April 2025 Annual Town Meeting, Wellesley adopted Article 40.1 to amend its...
Wellesley, MA
Wellesley's Building Department exempts one-story sheds/accessory buildings of 100 square feet or less from a building permit, but they must still comply wit...
See how Wellesley's chickens & livestock rules stack up against other locations.
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