Can you keep chickens in Borough of Cresskill, NJ?
Yes, with a permit. Cresskill allows hens only, in every zone, with a $100 annual Board of Health permit and a cap of four, six or twelve hens depending on lot size.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | 4 on a 5,000 sq ft lot, 6 on a 10,000 sq ft lot, 12 above 10,000 sq ft |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required: $100 annual Board of Health permit, expires December 31 |
| Coop setback | Coop must meet side and rear yard setbacks; no coop in a front yard |
| Lot size | No minimum stated |
| Rule adopted | July 2024 |
| Ducks | Not allowed |
Good to know
- All other poultry, pigeons and fowl are banned. Only live chickens, and no roosters, are permitted.
- Hens must be housed in a coop, building or accessory building, built under a building permit with a certificate of building completion before any hens move in.
- No coop housing chickens may have electrical or water service.
- Premises are subject to annual or semi-annual Board of Health inspection, and fogging or spraying must be reported to the Board of Health 10 days ahead. Penalties start at $500 plus removal of the birds.
What about ducks?
No. Cresskill bans all live poultry and fowl, including ducks by name, and its only exception is chickens (no roosters).
§ 80-33; § 80-34; § 80-35A: "Only live chickens (no roosters) shall be permitted in every zone in the Borough; no other poultry, pigeon or other fowl as defined herein shall be permitted." Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Borough of Cresskill?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Bergen 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 Bergen County towns
Compare them side by side in the Bergen 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.