Guest Op-Ed: Winthrop’s Regulation Regarding Chickens and Bees

By Bill Schmidt

 On December 13, 2022, the Winthrop Board of Health unanimously approved a Regulation Regarding the Keeping of Animals (primarily chickens and bees) in order to protect the health and safety of the public as well as animals in the Town of Winthrop. The Board of Health promulgated this regulation pursuant to the authority granted by Massachusetts General Laws to make reasonable health regulations. The effective date of the regulation is April 1, 2023.

 The current Board of Health began discussing the need for a new regulation in January 2022, and this issue had been discussed several years earlier but was not acted on. Starting in May 2022, as Chair of the Board, I began reviewing comparable regulations from a number of communities in the Greater Boston area. The whole Board approved a Draft Regulation at our September 2022 meeting.

The Board of Health held a Public Hearing on the Draft Regulation at our November 2022 meeting and testimony was given by members of the public. My fellow Board members, who are both nurses, reviewed public health information from the federal National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and from Boston University’s School of Public Health.

The regulation requires that anyone who wants to keep chickens or beehives in the town must obtain a permit from the Inspectional Services Department. Permits shall be for a term of two years, unless revoked. A written application, plot plan, and examination of the animals and premises are required.

Regarding the keeping of chickens: the maximum number of chickens on any given lot shall be six (6); each chicken must have a minimum of 2.5 square feet of enclosed living space; all coops shall be located at least ten (10) feet from any side or rear property lines; and coops shall not be located in the front yard of any property.

Regarding the keeping of bees: the maximum number of hives on any given lot shall be two (2); no hive shall exceed twenty (20) cubic feet; all hives shall be located at least ten (10) feet from any side or rear property lines; hives shall not be located in the front yard of a property; and no hive shall be located closer than ten (10) feet from a public sidewalk.

Bill Schmidt is the Chair of the Winthrop Board of Health