Can I keep chickens here?
Town-by-town backyard chicken rules in plain English. Every town page shows the hen limit, rooster rule, lot size and setbacks, whether you need a permit, and the exact words from the ordinance, with a link and the date we checked it.
Can I keep chickens?
Pick your New Hampshire town for a quick answer.
Start with New Hampshire
We're building New Hampshire first, town by town. See all NH towns →
Nashua
Hens allowed
Up to 6 adult hensConcord
Hens allowed
Up to 5 hens (on lots under one acre)Laconia
Hens allowed
Up to 5 adult hens (6 or more counts as an agricultural use)Hampton
Hens allowed
Up to 8 hensLebanon
Hens allowed
Up to 4 hens on lots up to 2 acres; 10 hens on 2 to 5 acres; 2 hens per acre over 5 acresDover
Hens allowed
6 or fewer chickens (counted together with any sheep or goats) as "farm animals for family use"Rochester
Hens allowed
Fewer than 10 chickens (so up to 9)Portsmouth
Allowed with approval
No fixed number in the ordinance; the Zoning Board sets one (for example, a 2024 approval allowed up to 6, no roosters)Manchester
Hens allowed
Up to 6 hens
Hens allowed
Up to 6 adult hensConcord
Hens allowed
Up to 5 hens (on lots under one acre)Laconia
Hens allowed
Up to 5 adult hens (6 or more counts as an agricultural use)Hampton
Hens allowed
Up to 8 hensLebanon
Hens allowed
Up to 4 hens on lots up to 2 acres; 10 hens on 2 to 5 acres; 2 hens per acre over 5 acresDover
Hens allowed
6 or fewer chickens (counted together with any sheep or goats) as "farm animals for family use"Rochester
Hens allowed
Fewer than 10 chickens (so up to 9)Portsmouth
Allowed with approval
No fixed number in the ordinance; the Zoning Board sets one (for example, a 2024 approval allowed up to 6, no roosters)Manchester
Hens allowed
Up to 6 hens
What makes CluckZone different
The actual ordinance wordsWe quote the rule and link to the official town source, so you can check it yourself.
Date checked on every pageRules change. You'll always see when we last looked.
No guessingIf we haven't verified a town, we say so and show you how to check.
"Silent code" explainedMany NH towns have no chicken rule at all. Here's what that means.