Can you keep chickens in Chester Township, NJ?
Yes. Chester Township allows keeping fowl as a permitted accessory use in all its residential zones, with no stated hen limit ('all fowl regardless of the number'). Fowl must be housed in an enclosed building or fenced yard that meets the zone's accessory-building setbacks.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes |
| Hens | No stated limit |
| Roosters | Not specified |
| Permit | Not specified (permitted by right) |
| Coop setback | Meets the zone's accessory-building setbacks (no fowl-specific distance) |
| Lot size | No minimum specific to fowl |
| Ducks | Not addressed in the code |
Good to know
- Per-acre caps apply only to horses/cattle (1 per acre) and sheep/goats/pigs (5 per acre), not to fowl.
- Fowl must be housed in an enclosed building or fenced yard, with adequate fencing.
- This is Chester Township, distinct from Chester Borough.
What about ducks?
Probably, but not spelled out. Chester Township permits keeping 'fowl' in its residential zones without defining the word or mentioning ducks, so confirm with the township.
§ 113-243G: "The keeping of fowl, livestock and horses is permitted, provided" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Chester Township?
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.