Chicken laws in NJ

[Coop de Grass]

Hi, Just wanted to say that you give some very good advice! Sometimes the zoning on the books is ambiguous, as it is here in South Brunswick. We had someone from Rutgers Extension program give a session on Keeping chickens at our senior center, but when you look for info some people say it is ok and some don't!

 

[yellowchicks]

Hi, Just wanted to say that you give some very good advice! Sometimes the zoning on the books is ambiguous, as it is here in South Brunswick. We had someone from Rutgers Extension program give a session on Keeping chickens at our senior center, but when you look for info some people say it is ok and some don't!

You can look through your local zoning ordinance, most towns have them online.

Search for the word "poultry", "livestock" or "chickens" to find the sections of the codes you need.

Depending on your municipality (not the county) in NJ, and depending on which Zone with in the municipality that you live in, there are specific requirements and permitted use, setback of accessory buildings, sale of the produce, etc., that you would need to adhere to or apply for a permit.

For South Brunswick, see https://www.municode.com/library/nj/south_brunswick_township/codes/code_of_ordinances

 

[Coop de Grass]

Wow! Thank you so much for this info. I have not searched for a while and so I did not know that it had been clarified!

 

[holypollo]

I know this is an old thread but I cannot find any good information. I live in Wall Township New Jersey. I reached out to the zoning folks and this was their response:
"Unless you are farm assessed or have a property over 5 acres, raising of livestock is not permitted." We just want to get 4 chickens. I don't see how that could not be permitted. Is there anything that can be done to clarify this? Does anyone here live in or have experience with Wall Township?

 

[kidwithchickens]

I need Long Valley if someone can please please help! Also how in the world do you start a new thread? I'm sorry for doing this in a comment except I don't know how to do it normally!

 

[Sessie]

i have family in NJ they live close to the city(manhattan) I think thats in Hudson county. Are there any laws allowing chickens there?
They want to try to have some chickens but dont want problems.

I just moved out of [nearby] Essex county 8 months ago (after living there for 25 years). I can't think of any place in Hudson county that's gonna be suburban enough to allow chickens! Good grief! The smallest (geographically-speaking) county in NJ and also the single most densely populated - that's Hudson County. Bayonne. Hoboken. Jersey City. East Newark (not to be confused with Newark, NJ in Essex county). Kearney. West New York, NJ. North Bergen, NJ (not to be confused with northern Bergen County). Union City. Harrison (just adjacent to the state's biggest city - Newark, NJ - in Essex county). Weehawken. It's adjacent to huge Newark/Liberty International Airport (EWR) -- so-called "New York City's third major international airport". The average population in Hudson county is about 10K persons per square mile. Most areas in this tiny but compact county "boast" large hi-rise apartment building units that number from the tens of thousands per city/town to hundreds of thousands per city/town. While there are some parts of the county where residents have some single family homes and/or some smaller multi-family homes - those homes all have postage-stamp-sized lawns and no trees (to speak of). I can't imagine where one would even put chickens in Hudson county!

I just moved out of Orange, NJ (Essex county, right next to larger East Orange, NJ, which is, in tun, right next to Newark, NJ (the largest city in the state of NJ + Essex county's county seat). Orange is a town that's 2.2 sq miles big and has a population of about 33,000 - and everyone lives on top of everyone else, crammed in like sardines in a can. And I lived in Seven Oaks (the still-parklike part of town with the big old grande dame mansions - not the multi-family houses interspersed with low- and mid- and hi-rise apartment unit towers) that make up most of the rest of the town.

Anyone who wants chickens should first check with local government (municipal council or whatever form of government that municipality has) in City/Town Hall. I'd start with the local Animal Control officer, as s/he is the one whom people will call with complaints, and who will be the one coming out to your house to inspect. You should also visit your CIty/Town Clerk and ask for the statutes pertaining to livestock (be specific - chickens, if that's what you want to know about). The Municipal Clerk is who has access to the statutes on the books. If it's appropriate (depending on the local form/s of government), do the same on the County level… ask the County Clerk, as well. And County Animal Control officer.

CnD7: I am well familiar with Bayonne in particular, but Hudson county in general. I can't see how chickens would be possible - forget about legal, just even merely possible - in Hudson county. That said, your family who lives there should check with their local government… in most cases in Hudson, that's gonna be the City/Town Clerk and City/Town Animal Control Officer. The police department should also have simple answers.

 

[Sessie]

I know this is an old thread but I cannot find any good information. I live in Wall Township New Jersey. I reached out to the zoning folks and this was their response:
"Unless you are farm assessed or have a property over 5 acres, raising of livestock is not permitted." We just want to get 4 chickens. I don't see how that could not be permitted. Is there anything that can be done to clarify this? Does anyone here live in or have experience with Wall Township?

According to Wall Township's website, Roberta Lang is your local Board of Health Registrar, and she - being in charge of that department - should be able to tell you the name of the township Animal Control officer (which is not mentioned anywhere I see on the township website). Animal Control ought to be able to help you out. So should Ms Lang or her deputies, Keri Pagoni or Lauren Lake. If they say township statute prohibits chickens, ask which statute(s), and you can always then go to the Township Clerk, and ask for a copy of that/those statutes. Your township's website says that… heh heh heh - Oh! Roberta Lang is also your Township's Clerk, too. rotfl Sounds to me like you need to call or visit Ms Lang. Will you please let me know if she's also the Township Animal Control Officer? Pretty please? I'm dying of curiosity to know, now! lol

 

[holypollo]

Many thanks for the reply. Well I visited Ms. Lang and she indicated that it was a "land use and zoning question". She then put on the Zoning officer hat and said that she was in fact the zoning officer as well as the Major elect. Just kidding there. At any rate, she did send me pretty promptly to the zoning folks as she said they were "Farm Animals". I countered that they were in fact pets and were not farm animals. She followed that our township considered them fowl and were therefore farm animals. I then went to the zoning office where despite carefully describing the little ladies as pets, the zoning officer said they were fowl and therefore subject to our township Prohibited Uses:
"140-140 Prohibited uses.
(27) Keeping or raising of horses or other similar animals or farming as defined in this chapter on lots comprised of less than five acres." I found it here: http://ecode360.com/9589237
I mentioned that I knew others with back yard chickens in our township and she actually tried to get me to identify them and where they lived. My obvious answer there was "no".
This all seems so insane to me. I then asked regarding changes to statute. She then handed me a lengthy variance application and made clear that the process would be long, expensive, and not likely worth it. Not sure where to go from here as $1k in fees is not an effort I can undertake.

 

[dreamwallaby]

Check out the facebook page for Camden County Chickens https://www.facebook.com/camdencountychickens/?fref=ts they fought the battle and won. If you want to know how to get things changed, they are the people to talk to they were able to get a pilot program started just this past year. They help others looking to change things. I know you're not in Camden County, but the information on how to do it is the same.

 

[Coop de Grass]

Perhaps you could get together with the other undercover chicken keepers and apply for the variance en masse?