North Attleborough advances zoning update to allow backyard chickens in all homes

North Attleborough's Town Council unanimously approved Measure 2026-068 at a public hearing at 7:00 PM on June 22 in the JoAnn Cathcart Conference Room at Town Hall. The zoning update would add Backyard Chickens as a permitted use in all residential zones, but only if owners follow Chapter 108, Article III, which takes effect July 1, 2026.

The update clears up a mismatch in the town code. The town had already adopted the backyard chicken bylaw, but the zoning use table still treated chickens like a livestock question instead of lining them up with the new animal rules. The update is administrative in nature and does not change land-use policy, but it makes the permit status of hens match the broader code.

Under the proposed district-based limits, R-10 lots could keep six hens, R-15 and R-20 lots could keep 12, and R-40 lots could keep an unlimited number. Roosters would be barred in every district except R-40. Each property would need an annual license from the Town Clerk, issued online from April 1 through March 31, along with a plot plan, a waste-handling plan and a pest-management plan. Before any chickens are purchased, the coop and run would have to pass an initial pre-inspection by the Animal Control Officer and the Health Department, and annual municipal animal inspections would still apply.

It was first introduced in December 2025, and it drew pushback at a Jan. 21 Bylaw Subcommittee meeting, when seven residents spoke against it. By January 30, town officials were revising the proposal to address concerns about rodents and enforcement. Bylaw Subcommittee Chair Dan Donovan said the effort began the week before Thanksgiving 2025 and became one of the most extensive bylaws he had worked on, with Anne Marie Fleming and Stephanie Mitchell helping shape the public-health and enforcement language. Maureen Avila said she attended nearly all the meetings and praised the council’s measured approach.