chickens are not allowed in Worcester,MA

[mamagardener]

Redhen, the drive in is still open but it closes right after Labor Day. Where else can you see 2 movies that are in movie theaters now for 20 bucks a car?

I used to live in Worcester, and as far as I know in the city of Worcester no farm animals are allowed unless you have agricultural zoning.
Move to Charlton, that's where I am now, and there are no laws against farm animals.

 

[mamagardener]

GardenerGal, the feed store is still there on Stafford St. That is where I go, I live right near there.


I just noticed that this thread is 2 years old.

 

[defree]

I would not recommend Leicester, MA as I also live here, and turns out, chickens are a no no. For some (idiotic) reason, I called the building inspector in May to inquire about if there was an issue to build a chicken coop, and was given the towns legal blah blah blah on owning chickens. I COULD have gotten some, but the requirements were to get my land surveyed, and place an ad in the paper, and petition the town board, etc. It was TOTALLY ridiculous. Wishing I had never asked, and just had got them instead. They sell them at the Leicester Tractor Supply for crying out loud! Hoping someday the bylaws get changed and I get to post my dream coop on this site that I drool over all the time

 

[mdunbar12]

Does anyone know if theyre allowed in Oakham? I just got a coop and i have 5 hens. I didnt check the laws before getting them, and im considering getting a rooster, but so far i cant seem to find ANY info on whats legal and whats not... anyone here have any ideas?

-Melissa

 

[teaser452]

Chickens are COMPLETELY legal in Worcester, MA, provided that they do not pose an "imminent threat". While the courts have not defined what an imminent threat is, I would suspect it's not a matter of your chickens building a cruise missile in your back yard. I suspect the imminent threat would have to do with sanitation issues. So, keep your chicken runs clean, keep food well protected from rats, etc.

BTW, no city ordinance bans chickens. There is some sort of paper that animal control officers pass out entitled Title X, that states on the page that chickens are illegal. Something to do with the health department. The health department has never heard of it and has never heard of title X, or title II or title IV or title IX. It doesn't exist and is not a law.

I will say, I cannot for the life of me, figure out why everyone says that chickens are illegal in Worcester? Urban legend? Even when I talk to city officials, every one says, "Of course they're illegal" But there is no law banning them, and the courts agree. Fascinating to me on a sociological level.

I will say this though. Be a responsible chicken owner. Treat your chickens well, and they will take care of you!

 

[Michelle1234]

@ teaser, I've heard the same thing from worcester workers saying they're illegal but with nothing backing it up. The police even came to my neighbor's door and told him he couldn't have chickens. They didn't do any further investigating though so they must not care too much!

 

[teaser452]

Well, the police don't want chickens to become widespread. Some of the police officers I have talked to told me stories about people living in Great Brook Valley who took their kitchen cabinet doors off, put up wire, and kept chickens in their cabinets. So, obviously, that can't be allowed, since those are rentals and it costs the city and state a lot of money to clean up and fix after/if the renters ever leave.

But yes, the police never went back to your neighbor because there is no law prohibiting them,.

When the police write you a speeding ticket, on the ticket, they cite the actual law, chapter section and subsection citing you with a fine for exceeding the speed limit. If there couldn't cite a law that you broke, they couldn't write you a fine. Because if you protested the ticket in court, the judge would toss the fine and the case due to there being no such law. (much like what the judge did with the chicken case)

If chickens were illegal, there would be some sort of penalty or fine for having them. And believe you me, they would write a ticket for your neighbor if they could extract a fine from him. But since there is no law to cite, which would specify the consequences for having a chicken, they don't.

It is a sad day in this nation that the police say, "Oh, such and such is illegal" when A) Police officers are not lawyers and B) Average citizens fail to go and actually look it up. Worcester laws are all online. I read them. A'int nothing there prohibiting chickens.

 

[Michelle1234]

Totally agree, thanks!