NJ chicken rules · Bergen County
Backyard chicken rules in Bergen County, NJ
Every town in Bergen County sets its own rule. Of the 70 we have read, 33 allow backyard hens outright or with conditions, 26 ban them, and 11 have no clear rule in the code. Each town page cites the ordinance it comes from.
| Town | Hens | Roosters | Permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borough of Allendale | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Alpine | No stated limit | Not specified | Not specified |
| Borough of Bergenfield | Not permitted | Not permitted | Not available |
| Borough of Bogota | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
| Borough of Carlstadt | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
| Borough of Cliffside Park | Not specified (general cap of 5 animals of any kind per home) | Not specified | Not specified |
| Borough of Closter | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Cresskill | 4 on a 5,000 sq ft lot, 6 on a 10,000 sq ft lot, 12 above 10,000 sq ft | Prohibited | Required: $100 annual Board of Health permit, expires December 31 |
| Borough of Demarest | Up to 2 adult fowl | Not specified | Not specified |
| Borough of Dumont | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
| Borough of East Rutherford | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Edgewater | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Elmwood Park | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available |
| Borough of Emerson | No stated limit | Crowing roosters prohibited | Required: Board of Health license or permit, no fee stated |
| City of Englewood | Up to 6 hens | Prohibited | Required: $10 annual license |
| Borough of Englewood Cliffs | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Fair Lawn | Up to 10 fowl | New roosters prohibited (up to 2 pre-2023 roosters grandfathered) | Required ($15 license from the Health Department, renewed each June) |
| Borough of Fairview | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not available |
| Borough of Fort Lee | No fixed number; density limited to 1 bird per 3 sq ft of usable coop floor | Prohibited (no crowing rooster or screaming/chattering fowl) | Required (Board of Health license; fee reported around $250 per premises) |
| Borough of Franklin Lakes | No set maximum; a license is required at 6 or more birds | Not specified | Required for 6 or more birds |
| City of Garfield | No stated limit | Not covered by the permit (small animals excludes roosters) | Required: Health Officer permit ($100 a year listed for more than 5 animals) |
| Borough of Glen Rock | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available |
| City of Hackensack | No stated limit (permit required) | Prohibited in residence districts (only hens are excepted) | Annual Health Department permit, expires March 1 |
| Borough of Harrington Park | Up to 6 hens (up to 10 on lots over 20,000 sq ft) | Not specified | Required: $20 annual Board of Health permit |
| Borough of Hasbrouck Heights | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Haworth | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Hillsdale | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
| Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus | Set by the license (no fixed number in the code) | Gamecocks and other fighting birds are banned; other roosters not specified | Required: $20 Board of Health license, expires December 31 |
| Borough of Leonia | No stated limit | Not specified | Not specified |
| Borough of Little Ferry | Not permitted | Not permitted | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Lodi | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
| Township of Lyndhurst | 2 hens (per the Health Department permit form; the code leaves the number to the health officer) | Not specified | Required: $25 annual license |
| Mahwah Township | No stated limit (license fee scales with flock size) | Prohibited | Required (annual Board of Health license) |
| Borough of Maywood | No stated limit | Prohibited | Not specified |
| Borough of Midland Park | No stated limit | Prohibited | Required: Board of Health license |
| Borough of Montvale | No stated limit | Crowing roosters prohibited | Not specified |
| Borough of Moonachie | Not permitted | Not specified | Not available (chickens are not a permitted use) |
| Borough of New Milford | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available |
| Borough of North Arlington | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Northvale | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Norwood | No stated limit | Not specified | Required: $5 annual Board of Health permit |
| Borough of Oakland | No numeric limit; coop needs 3 sq ft per bird (5 sq ft per bird in a fenced run) | Not allowed | None stated; renters need the owner's written permission |
| Borough of Old Tappan | No stated limit | Prohibited | Required: $50 annual license for other than business purposes |
| Borough of Oradell | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Palisades Park | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Paramus | Not specified in the code | Not specified | Required (annual Board of Health poultry permit; fee reported around $100/year) |
| Borough of Park Ridge | No stated limit | Not specified | Not specified for chickens; a $100 annual permit applies only to Class II and Class III animals |
| Borough of Ramsey | Density-based (1 bird per 3 sq ft of coop floor) | Prohibited | Required ($30 Board of Health license) |
| Borough of Ridgefield | Not permitted | Not specified | Not specified; no section licenses chickens |
| Village of Ridgefield Park | No stated limit | Not specified | Not specified; keeping must follow the Village Board of Health Sanitary Code |
| Village of Ridgewood | Density-based (1 bird per 3 sq ft of floor, including the run) | Prohibited | Required (Division of Health) |
| Borough of River Edge | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available |
| Township of River Vale | Up to 6 birds | Not specified | Required: Board of Health license, $30 per bird |
| Township of Rochelle Park | Not permitted | Not permitted | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Rockleigh | Not specified | Not specified | Required: special written permission from the Board of Health |
| Borough of Rutherford | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available |
| Township of Saddle Brook | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Saddle River | No stated limit (density capped at 1 bird per 3 sq ft of coop floor) | Prohibited | Required (Board of Health license; $10 fowl fee plus $100 plan review) |
| Township of South Hackensack | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Township of Teaneck | Up to 6 chicken hens | Not allowed (hens only) | Required ($25 biennial Health Department permit) |
| Borough of Tenafly | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
| Borough of Teterboro | Not specified | Not specified (gamecocks and other fighting birds are banned) | Not specified |
| Borough of Upper Saddle River | Counted toward a 4-pet household total | Prohibited (excluded from the household-pet definition) | Not required (special permission only for an undersized coop) |
| Borough of Waldwick | Not permitted | Not permitted | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Wallington | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Township of Washington | No stated limit (density capped at 1 bird per 3 sq ft of coop floor) | Prohibited | Required (Board of Health license) |
| Borough of Westwood | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
| Borough of Wood-Ridge | Not permitted | Prohibited | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Borough of Woodcliff Lake | Set by the Board of Health license (density capped at 1 bird per 3 sq ft of coop floor) | Prohibited | Required ($3 Board of Health license) |
| Wyckoff Township | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
Rules come from each town's municipal code and are cited on the town's own page. Ordinances change, so confirm with your town before you build. See every NJ town.
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