NJ chicken rules · Bergen County
Can you keep chickens in Borough of Fair Lawn, NJ?
Fair Lawn lets residents keep up to 10 fowl with a $15 Health Department license. New roosters are banned, and birds must be confined to a coop at night.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | Up to 10 fowl |
| Roosters | New roosters prohibited (up to 2 pre-2023 roosters grandfathered) |
| Permit | Required ($15 license from the Health Department, renewed each June) |
| Coop setback | Not specified as a distance; runs must give 2 sq ft of non-impervious space per bird |
| Lot size | — |
Good to know
- "Fowl" is defined broadly (chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, pigeons, and more).
- Fowl must be coop-confined from dusk through the night and may roam the yard only in daylight.
- Governed by the animals chapter's article on keeping fowl.
Source: Borough of Fair Lawn Code, Ch. 62 Animals, Art. VI (eCode360), Ch. 62 Art. VI — view the ordinance
Verified 2026-09. Ordinances change and zoning can differ by district — always confirm the current rules with the Borough of Fair Lawn clerk or zoning office before you build.
Building a coop in Borough of Fair Lawn?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across BergenCounty and all of New Jersey, sized to your flock and built to your town's rules.
New to this? Start with how to raise chickens in NJ, or what a coop costs.
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