Can you keep chickens in Township of Chatham, NJ?
Chatham Township allows fowl only as a non-commercial accessory to your home on a lot of at least 5 acres, with any coop kept 100 feet from every property line and the street. On a typical residential lot they're effectively not permitted.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | No numeric cap (gated by the 5-acre requirement) |
| Roosters | Not specified |
| Permit | Not specified (governed through zoning) |
| Coop setback | No structure or enclosure closer than 100 ft to any property line or street right-of-way |
| Lot size | At least 5 acres |
| Ducks | Not addressed in the code |
Good to know
- Zoning permits keeping farm animals or fowl for the occupants' use and not for profit, on 5+ acres.
- On lots under 5 acres, backyard chickens are effectively not allowed.
- This is Chatham Township. Chatham Borough, by contrast, flatly bans keeping fowl.
What about ducks?
Probably only on 5 acres or more, but not spelled out. Chatham Township allows 'farm animals or fowl' as a home accessory use on large lots without defining either term or mentioning ducks, so confirm with the township.
Ch. 30 Art. VII, § 30-78.2: "The keeping of horses, ponies or other farm animals or fowl for use by the occupants of the premises and not for profit" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Township of Chatham?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Morris County and all of New Jersey, sized to your flock and built to your town's rules.
In an HOA? The town allowing hens is not the same as your association allowing them. What an HOA can and cannot stop.
New to this? Start with how to raise chickens in NJ, or what a coop costs.
Chicken rules in nearby Morris County towns
Compare them side by side in the Morris County table.
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.