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New Hampshire backyard chicken rules
New Hampshire leaves chicken rules to each city and town, so they vary a lot. Some cities spell out exact hen limits and setbacks. Some require a zoning board approval. And many towns say nothing about chickens at all, which brings in a state law that can work in your favor. Read the silent-code explainer.
Can I keep chickens?
Pick your New Hampshire town for a quick answer.
Towns
Verified towns were checked against official ordinance or town sources on October 28, 2026. "Not yet verified" means we haven't checked yet, not that chickens are banned.
| Town | Status | Hens | Roosters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concord | Hens allowed | Up to 5 hens (on lots under one acre) | Prohibited |
| Dover | Hens allowed | 6 or fewer chickens (counted together with any sheep or goats) as "farm animals for family use" | Not included in family-use animals, so not allowed under this rule |
| Hampton | Hens allowed | Up to 8 hens | Prohibited |
| Laconia | Hens allowed | Up to 5 adult hens (6 or more counts as an agricultural use) | Prohibited (no other poultry either) |
| Lebanon | 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 acres | Not allowed in R-1 or R-2. In R-3, allowed on lots over 5 acres at 1 rooster per 10 hens, with coop 150 ft from all lot lines |
| Manchester | Hens allowed | Up to 6 hens | Not permitted |
| Nashua | Hens allowed | Up to 6 adult hens | Prohibited |
| 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) | Set case by case by the Zoning Board; recent approvals have banned roosters |
| Rochester | Hens allowed | Fewer than 10 chickens (so up to 9) | Not allowed in the Residential-1 and Residential-2 districts |
| Bedford | Not yet verified | How to check | |
| Derry | Not yet verified | How to check | |
| Durham | Not yet verified | How to check | |
| Exeter | Not yet verified | How to check | |
| Goffstown | Not yet verified | How to check | |
| Hanover | Not yet verified | How to check | |
| Hudson | Not yet verified | How to check | |
| Londonderry | Not yet verified | How to check | |
| Merrimack | Not yet verified | How to check | |
| Salem | Not yet verified | How to check | |
| Somersworth | Not yet verified | How to check | |
| Claremont | Not yet verified | How to check | |
| Keene | Not yet verified | How to check | |
State rules that apply everywhere in NH
- RSA 674:32-a: when a zoning ordinance doesn't explicitly address agriculture in a district, agricultural activities are deemed permitted there. More
- RSA 635:3: letting your domestic fowl wander onto someone else's improved or enclosed land without permission, and damage it, is a violation.
- RSA 644:8: NH's animal cruelty law applies to backyard flocks, and many town chicken ordinances cite it.