NJ chicken rules · Somerset County
Can you keep chickens in Borough of Bernardsville, NJ?
Bernardsville permits fowl only under "farming and truck gardening" in its roughly 5-acre R-1 and R-1A districts, requiring any coop to sit at least 300 ft from the street and 100 ft from any property line, with no head-count limit.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | No numeric limit (regulated as farming) |
| Roosters | No specific provision |
| Permit | None specific to fowl (a zoning permit is required for structures generally) |
| Coop setback | No shelter for farm animals or fowl closer than 300 ft to any street or 100 ft to any other property line |
| Lot size | R-1 minimum lot area about 5 acres; the setbacks effectively require a very large lot |
Good to know
- Fowl is a listed use only in the large-lot R-1 and R-1A Residence Districts, not the smaller residence districts.
- The Board of Health animal rules cover only dogs, cats, and pigs; poultry is governed solely by zoning.
- The 300-ft street setback is the binding constraint.
Source: Borough of Bernardsville Land Development Regulations, Art. 12 Zoning (eCode360), § LD-12-5.1c — view the ordinance
Verified 2026-09. Ordinances change and zoning can differ by district — always confirm the current rules with the Borough of Bernardsville clerk or zoning office before you build.
Building a coop in Borough of Bernardsville?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across SomersetCounty and all of New Jersey, sized to your flock and built to your town's rules.
New to this? Start with how to raise chickens in NJ, or what a coop costs.
Ready to keep your flock safe?
Tell us about your animals and your land. We'll design a coop built to last, on-site, just for you.