REGULATIONS FOR THE STABLING OF ANIMALS

STABLES

Location:

1. Stables shall be located not less than one hundred (100’) feet from any building or structure used for human habitation or any church, school, public building, hospital, nursing home or rest home.

2. Stables shall be located not less than twenty-five (25) feet from any adjoining property or lot lines or the line of any public street or way.

3. Stables shall be located not less than one hundred (100) feet from any brook, stream, river, pond, water supply or drainage easement.

4. Corrals, paddocks and outdoor arenas shall be located not less than 50’ from any building or structure used for human habitation or any church, school, public building, hospital, nursing home or rest home.

Construction:

All building construction shall be of impervious material, except concrete, and sloped to facilitate drainage. Other flooring shall be of washable material.

Drainage System:

Public stable buildings shall be provided with a sanitary drainage system approved by the Board of Health in accordance with Article XI of the Massachusetts Sanitary Code.

Toilet Facilities:

Public stables shall be provided with two (2) or more toilet rooms, including hand washing facilities, for male and female employees and customers.

Stables shall not be used for human habitation except with written permission from the Board of Health. If so permitted, such quarters shall meet the requirements of the Massachusetts State Sanitary Code Article II (Minimum Standards for Human Habitation).

A drinking water facility shall be provided for the animals. Public stables shall be provided with a sufficient number of hose bib outlets for regular washing down of the stable.

Minimization of Standing Water:

Corrals and paddocks shall be sloped to minimize standing water.

Feed Storage:

All grain feeds shall be stored in rodent proof containers.

Insect Control:

Openings to the outer air shall be off reinforced screening. Whenever necessary, approved insecticide (with the exception of DDT) shall be applied to walls, ceilings, and exterior of stable building.

Manure Storage:

1. Manure shall be stored in such a manner and location that there can be no drainage or runoff into any pond, waterway or drainage easement.

2. No more than one (1) cord (4x4x8 feet) of manure shall be accumulated at any stable.

3. Public stables shall store manure in watertight pits, unless it is removed daily, and shall remove it once every ten (10) days from April 1 to November 1 unless the storage pit is screened.

Required Inoculation Certificates:

All animals on the premises shall be required to have a certificate of inoculation against equine encephalitis and tetanus provided by a licensed veterinarian yearly.

All animals shall be kept in a building or enclosure of adequate size, and no animal shall be permitted to be at large.

Public Stable License:

Stables shall have a license from the Board of Health, City Of Haverhill, at an annual fee of twenty five dollars ($25.00) for the first horse and ten dollars ($10.00) for each additional horse with a maximum fee of two hundred dollars ($200.00) per license. The license shall not be issued prior to inspection and approval of the Board of Health or their designee (s).

Number of Horses Per Lot:

1. No horse shall be maintained on any lot of less than forty thousand (40,000) square feet of suitable land that is not a wetland as determined by the Health Department after consultation with the Conservation Department unless there is a disagreement between parties the applicant would then be required to hire a botanist or a wetlands consultant.

2. There may be no more than two (2) horses on a forty thousand (40,000) square foot lot of suitable land as defined in section (A) of Number of Horses Per Lot.

3. Each additional horse maintained on the same premises shall require no less than twenty thousand (20,000) square feet of suitableland as defined in section (A) of Number of Horses Per Lot.

Violations and Penalties:

Following notice of violation of any of the preceding regulations and a reasonable time for correction, the owner or agent responsible for such violation may be subject to a fine of fifty dollars ($50.00) per day for each day that said violation exists (MGL, Chapter 111, Section 157) and to revocation of his license or permit.

Exceptions:

The Board of Health may, in the case of private stables constructed and used for not more than two (2) horses owned by the occupant thereof, after petition and investigation, grant exceptions to any provision of this bylaw, subject to such conditions as it may deem necessary for the public health.

Exemption:

Stables permitted before December 31, 2009 shall be exempt from this regulation provided they comply with the Board of Health regulation for the stabling of animals that was in effect prior to the adoption of this regulation.