Municipal Council approved By-law 1160-20, as a pilot project, allowing owners of single-family detached, semi-detached and row housing with a minimum lot size of 700 m² to own between three and five laying hens. These hens will have to be housed in a chicken coop located in the backyard or side yard of the property.

Residents wishing to raise laying hens must obtain a permit from the Planning and Sustainable Development Department.

You will first need to obtain a building permit for the pen and pen house. Once an inspector has come to your home to confirm that your construction is compliant, you can apply for a certificate for the laying hens.

For details on costs and procedures, visit our Permits and Certificates page.

Standards to respect

Are you interested in keeping laying hens? We invite you to carefully read the By-law 1160-20 allowing the keeping of laying hens.

Here are the main points to remember

• The lots on which hens are allowed are: single-family detached, semi-detached and row houses with a minimum area of 700 m².
• A minimum of three and a maximum of five hens are allowed per property.
• The hens must always be kept inside a hen house and a screened outdoor enclosure.
• Only one hen house and one pen are allowed per property.

It is prohibited to:

• Keep one or more chickens inside a dwelling unit
• Keep one or more hens in a cage
• Keep or own a rooster or roosters
• Keep one or more chicks
• Sell eggs, meat, manure or other substances from hens

If you have any questions about laying hens, please contact us at permis@chelsea.ca.