NJ chicken rules · Bergen County
Can you keep chickens in Borough of Fort Lee, NJ?
Fort Lee permits poultry only with a Board of Health license. Crowing roosters are banned, coops must sit well away from homes and lines, and birds are limited by coop space.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | No fixed number; density limited to 1 bird per 3 sq ft of usable coop floor |
| Roosters | Prohibited (no crowing rooster or screaming/chattering fowl) |
| Permit | Required (Board of Health license; fee reported around $250 per premises) |
| Coop setback | Coop not within 30 ft of any dwelling, 200 ft of a food establishment, or 8 ft of any property line |
| Lot size | — |
Good to know
- Governed by the Board of Health code on keeping and slaughtering animals.
- Fowl must be confined to coops or runs and may not run at large.
- Confirm the current license fee with the Fort Lee Board of Health.
Source: Borough of Fort Lee Board of Health Code, Art. III (eCode360), §§ 14-25, 14-26 — view the ordinance
Verified 2026-09. Ordinances change and zoning can differ by district — always confirm the current rules with the Borough of Fort Lee clerk or zoning office before you build.
Building a coop in Borough of Fort Lee?
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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