Can you keep chickens in Township of Delanco, NJ?
Yes, with a $25 annual license. You can keep 2 hens per 1,000 square feet of lot, up to 8 hens, and the town issues no more than 15 licenses a year.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | 2 per 1,000 sq ft of lot, max 8 |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required: $25 annual license, a class, and an inspection (max 15 licenses a year) |
| Coop setback | 5 feet from side and rear lines; 15 feet from a neighbor's home; rear yard only |
| Lot size | No minimum stated |
| Rule adopted | Aug 2023 |
Good to know
- Open to single-family homes and qualifying townhomes. HOA homes need written HOA permission, and tenants need the landlord's consent.
- Applicants must take a backyard hen class, and the Hen Advisory Board inspects the coop before any hens arrive.
- The coop and run can be no larger than 120 square feet and no taller than 8 feet. Slaughter and selling hens or eggs are not allowed.
- Zoning § 110-8C(22) still lists keeping poultry as a prohibited use, but § 123-4 says the 2023 hen article is an exception.
Source: Township of Delanco Code (eCode360), Ch. 123, Art. V, Keeping of Hens (§§ 123-25 to 123-33) (view the ordinance)
Verified 2026-09. Ordinances change and zoning can differ by district; always confirm the current rules with the Township of Delanco clerk or zoning office before you build.
Chicken rules in nearby Burlington County towns
Compare them side by side in the Burlington County table.
BeverlyBordentownTownship of BurlingtonCity of BurlingtonChesterfieldCinnaminsonDelranEastamptonEdgewater ParkEveshamFlorenceHainesportLumbertonMansfield Township (Burlington)Maple ShadeMedfordMedford LakesMoorestownMount HollyMount LaurelNew HanoverNorth HanoverPalmyraPembertonRiversideRivertonShamongSouthamptonSpringfield Township (Burlington)TabernacleWestamptonWillingboro
Building a coop in Township of Delanco?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across BurlingtonCounty 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.
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.