Backyard Hens
Requirements for Keeping Hens in East Hartford:
The property must be at least 0.25 acres to keep 3 hens (1 acre for 6 chickens, 2 acres for 12 chickens). No roosters are allowed.
Hens are for personal use only (no egg sales).
Hens are kept inside the coop/enclosure at all times, free ranging is not allowed.
An application to keep hens must be filled out and returned to the health department.
The coop and enclosure will be inspected to verify the following:
- Fenced enclosure is located in the rear yard, at least 20 feet from property lines
- Fenced enclosure contains a coop
- Coop is less than 15 feet tall and impermeable to rodents or predators
- Enclosure and coop are kept neat, clean, and sanitary at all times
- Odors from hens/hen waste are not detectable at the property or street line
- Any portion of the coop visible from another lot, property, or street line is screened by a fence or plantings of sufficient height to block any sight of the coop from the lot, property, or street line
- Hens do not create any type of nuisance to abutting property owners or the general public