Can you keep chickens in Borough of Fanwood, NJ?
Yes, with a permit. Fanwood allows up to 3 hens per home in the R-75 and R-150 zones on lots of at least 7,500 square feet, with no roosters and an annual permit.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | Up to 3 hens |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required: annual permit after site inspection, $25 per chicken per year plus a one-time $50 zoning review fee |
| Coop setback | 15 ft from side and rear lot lines; rear yard where practicable, never the front yard; closer to your house than to any neighbor's house |
| Lot size | Min. 7,500 sq ft (R-75 and R-150 zones only) |
| Rule adopted | Nov 2025 |
| Ducks | Not allowed |
Good to know
- One permit per residence; permits expire each December 31 and renewals open December 1.
- Coop may not exceed 36 sq ft, and coop plus run may not exceed 100 sq ft.
- Hens must stay in a fully enclosed, predator-proof coop and run away from the house; no selling eggs or chickens, and no commercial breeding.
- Ord. 2025-13-R, adopted 11-17-2025, added the $25 per chicken annual fee; it is not yet folded into § 118-28 online, which still says the permit is free.
What about ducks?
No. Fanwood allows permitted hens under its chicken rule, but its zoning code bans keeping ducks in all zones and the chicken rule forbids every other type of poultry.
§ 184-130; § 118-28B(3): "The keeping of fowl, ducks, pigeons, horses, ponies ... is prohibited in all zones. The keeping of chickens may be permitted, provided that all requirements of § 118-28 of this Code have been met." Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Borough of Fanwood?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Union 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 Union County towns
Compare them side by side in the Union 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.