Can you keep chickens in Borough of Franklin Lakes, NJ?
Franklin Lakes requires a Board of Health license once you keep six or more birds; a flock of fewer than six isn't covered by the poultry ordinance at all. Coops must sit apart from any dwelling, with the exact distances set by the land-use code.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | No set maximum; a license is required at 6 or more birds |
| Roosters | Not specified |
| Permit | Required for 6 or more birds |
| Coop setback | Coop must be apart from any dwelling; distances set by the zoning code |
| Lot size | Not specified |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- Fewer than 6 birds fall outside the ordinance's definition of poultry (§ 505-18).
- Birds over 20 weeks old need at least 1.5 sq ft of coop floor each (§ 505-19J).
- Exact coop setbacks are governed by the Land Use chapter (Ch. 300), not this article.
What about ducks?
Yes. Franklin Lakes defines poultry to include ducks, so the same rule applies: a Board of Health license once you keep six or more birds, with coops kept apart from homes.
§§ 505-18, 505-19: "POULTRY Includes chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowl, pigeons, pheasants and all other fowl or winged animals" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Borough of Franklin Lakes?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Bergen 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 Bergen County towns
Compare them side by side in the Bergen 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.