Can you keep chickens in Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ?
Yes, with a $20 license from the Board of Health that renews each year. The license sets the most birds you can keep, and the board can refuse or revoke it if the flock is a nuisance to neighbors.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | Set by the license (no fixed number in the code) |
| Roosters | Gamecocks and other fighting birds are banned; other roosters not specified |
| Permit | Required: $20 Board of Health license, expires December 31 |
| Coop setback | Not specified |
| Lot size | No minimum stated |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- The license rule covers chickens, ducks and other poultry.
- The application must describe the land and give its dimensions. The license names the place and the maximum number of birds.
- The Board of Health can revoke a license if the birds become a nuisance to people living nearby.
- Zoning (Ch. 85) doesn't mention poultry. Two 2026 zoning ordinances not yet in the code cover cannabis and building height, not animals.
What about ducks?
Ducks follow the same rule as chickens: a $20 yearly Board of Health license that sets the most birds you can keep, which the board can refuse or revoke if the flock is a nuisance.
§§ 29-19 to 29-25: "It shall be unlawful to keep chickens, ducks or other poultry within the limits of the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus without first obtaining a license from the Board of Health" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus?
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.