6 rules for unincorporated Essex County, Massachusetts.
Verified from official government sources
Backyard chickens and livestock are protected on parcels of 5 acres or more under MGL c.40A §3, which bars zoning from prohibiting agriculture. Parcels of 2 acres or more qualify when farm sales reach $1,000 per acre a year.
MGL c.40A §3
all such activities may be limited to parcels of 5 acres or more or to parcels 2 acres or more if the sale of products produced from the agriculture, aquaculture, silviculture, horticulture, floriculture or viticulture use on the parcel annually generates at least $1,000 per acre
Every Essex County town enforces a leash bylaw requiring dogs to be restrained off the owner's property, authorized by MGL c.140 §173. Owners are strictly liable for any damage their dog does under c.140 §155.
MGL c.140 §173
A city or town may make additional ordinances or by-laws relative to the licensing and control of animals not inconsistent with sections 136A to 174F, inclusive.
No Essex County town can ban or restrict a dog by breed. MGL c.140 §157 states no city or town shall regulate dogs in a manner specific to breed, so pit bulls and every breed are treated alike.
MGL c.140 §157
No city or town shall regulate dogs in a manner that is specific to breed.
Beekeeping is legal across Essex County, and hives must be registered with the state under MGL c.128 §32. The apiary registration fee is capped at five dollars per beekeeper regardless of how many colonies you keep.
MGL c.128 §32
for this public purpose may require by regulation the registration of all bee colonies kept within the commonwealth and their location by the owners or caretakers thereof, the fee for which shall be determined by the secretary of administration and finance, which in no case shall exceed five dollars per registrant
Keeping exotic mammals, reptiles, birds, or amphibians requires a state license under MGL c.131 §23. Common pets on the MassWildlife exempt list need no permit, and wild or dangerous species are barred to private owners.
MGL c.131 §23
Except as otherwise provided by this section or any rule or regulation made under the authority thereof, a person shall not engage in the propagation, cultivation, or maintenance of, or the dealing in, fish, birds, mammals, reptiles, or amphibians, or parts thereof, as provided in section twenty-four, twenty-five or forty-seven, without first having obtained a propagator's license or dealer's l...
No statewide law bans feeding wildlife, but Essex County towns prohibit feeding deer, waterfowl, and other wild animals through local bylaws and Board of Health nuisance orders when it draws rodents, bears, or coyotes.
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