Can you keep chickens in Township of Fairfield, NJ?
Fairfield allows a small number of hens (no roosters), a handful without a permit and more only with a Board of Health permit, with the coop set 50 feet from neighbors' doors and windows and 10 feet from property lines.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | Up to 4 without a permit (the code also references a 6-fowl limit); more requires a permit |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Board of Health permit required above the un-permitted number; a separate permit to sell live poultry; fee about $10 |
| Coop setback | No coop within 50 ft of a neighboring dwelling's doors or windows, or within 10 ft of a property line |
| Lot size | No minimum for fowl (the 2-3 acre thresholds apply only to horses) |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- The code carries both a "four" and a "six" figure for fowl; treat 4 as the no-permit threshold and confirm the rest with the Board of Health.
- Fowl may not run at large and may not be kept inside a dwelling; coops need moisture-proof floors.
- This is the Essex County Fairfield, not Fairfield Township in Cumberland County.
What about ducks?
Yes, within limits. Fairfield's rule covers 'live chickens, pigeons or other fowl,' and the same section lists ducks as live poultry, so ducks share the hen limits: a few without a permit, more with a Board of Health permit, and coops 50 feet from neighbors' doors and windows.
§ 8-3.3: "rabbits or live poultry, including chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys or other fowl" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Township of Fairfield?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Essex 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 Essex County towns
Compare them side by side in the Essex 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.