Chicken dispute prompts review of farm rules

SHARON — New regulations are out for review after a neighborhood dispute surrounding chickens late last year highlighted a lack of clarity in the town’s zoning code regarding farms.

Sharon Valley Road residents Letitia and Brian Brazee brought a complaint to Town Hall in the fall of 2025 about nuisance chickens on a neighboring property. Central to the complaint were questions about what constitutes a “farm” in the town’s zoning regulations.

Following months of deliberation and rewrites, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted at its regular meeting on Wednesday, March 11, to forward its draft revisions of the farm regulations for review by the commission’s attorney Steven Byrne and the Northwest Hills Council of Governments.

In the current regulations, farms are allowed as of right in any zone for a parcel of three acres or greater, so long as manure or other “offensive material” is stored at least 100 feet from property lines and no commercial slaughter — except for animals raised on the property — may occur.

The draft amendment keeps the existing language but adds a series of conditions that primarily regulate the construction of buildings on farm properties. Under the proposed language, any construction on such properties will require a zoning permit that includes a “Farm Use Statement” detailing a site plan for the property and the intended usage of the land and/or any structures.

Also included in the changes is a stipulation that chickens, rabbits or ducks may be kept on properties under three acres in residential zones, with a number of conditions: the lot must be at least three-quarters of an acre; residents may keep no more than six chickens or rabbits and no more than four ducks; and free-range husbandry will not be allowed. Coops also must comply with established setbacks.

The current code does not address the issue of owners of small parcels keeping these types of animals, and the addition to the zoning regulations is meant to directly address that gap.

Other fowl, including roosters, guinea hens, peacocks, geese and pheasants are expressly prohibited in the rewrite.

Casey said the draft language is subject to change based on the reviews from Attorney Byrne and the NHCOG. P&Z will bring finalized drafts to a public hearing and an eventual town vote before the changes can be adopted.