Can you keep chickens in Borough of Chesilhurst, NJ?
Yes, with a $50 annual license. The hen limit depends on lot size, from 2 hens on a 5,000 sq ft lot up to 12 on 60,000 sq ft, and the coop must be in the rear yard.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | 2 to 12 hens by lot size, plus 1 per extra 20,000 sq ft |
| Roosters | Not covered: the code defines chicken as hens and not roosters |
| Permit | Required: $50 annual license plus online processing fee |
| Coop setback | Rear yard; 15 ft from a neighbor's home; 5 ft from property lines |
| Lot size | Min. 0.11 acres (5,000 sq ft for 2 hens) |
| Rule adopted | June 2023 |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- Limits: 5,000 sq ft 2 hens, 10,000 sq ft 3, 15,000 sq ft 4, 20,000 sq ft 5, 30,000 sq ft 6, 40,000 sq ft 8, 60,000 sq ft 12.
- Coop and run max 100 sq ft and 6 ft tall unless a building permit is obtained.
- Selling eggs on residential property is prohibited; renters need the owner's written consent.
- Farmland-assessed property is exempt from these rules.
What about ducks?
Female ducks follow the same rule as chickens. Chesilhurst's license and lot-size limits cover chickens and other egg-laying poultry (2 birds on 5,000 sq ft up to 12 on 60,000 sq ft), and female ducks must also be kept sanitary and not a nuisance.
§§ 116-1 to 116-1.4: "No person shall keep any female ducks, guinea fowl, geese, pigeons, birds, or other egg-laying fowl within the municipality of Chesilhurst Borough in any unsanitary condition" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Borough of Chesilhurst?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Camden 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 Camden County towns
Compare them side by side in the Camden 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.