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Planning board discusses backyard farms, animal limits and enforcement challenges
Summary
Board members reviewed complaints tied to backyard farms — odors and numbers of animals — and discussed state best-practice guidance, town inspection capacity and the need for the health agent, building inspector, or code enforcement to handle complaints.
Atkinson’s Planning Board on Feb. 4 addressed resident complaints about backyard farms and how the town should apply or scale state farm best practices to smaller, residential operations.
Member Edward Stewart and Chair Sue Killam noted that odors and neighbor impacts — cited in a Salem Road farm example — fuel complaints and that enforcement is difficult when operations fall below state thresholds for a farm. Killam said the town must have a health agent by law and that enforcement would involve the Board of Health, the building inspector and code enforcement.
Members agreed scaling state guidance to backyard operations is challenging because the town lacks staff to police every complaint. The board did not move to change ordinances but discussed where the line should be drawn and recommended consulting other towns and the health agent about enforceable limits.
No formal action was taken; the board flagged the topic for further study and outreach.
