Can you keep chickens in City of Jersey City, NJ?
Jersey City lets residents keep up to 50 chickens or other poultry with a license, as long as the coop stays at least 25 feet from anyone else's home.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | Up to 50 poultry total |
| Roosters | Not specified (no rooster ban; noise rules apply) |
| Permit | Required (annual license; expires April 30) |
| Coop setback | 25 ft from any other person's home or place of assembly |
| Lot size | Not specified |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- Keeping pigeons also requires the written consent of most neighbors on the block (§ 90-5).
- Coops must be dry, ventilated, whitewashed, and cleaned weekly to twice weekly (§ 90-8).
- A license can be revoked if the coop becomes a nuisance.
What about ducks?
Yes, with a license. Jersey City's poultry rule names ducks, so ducks count toward the same 50-bird cap and license, with coops at least 25 feet from anyone else's home.
§§ 90-6, 90-7: "in no case shall any person or persons be permitted to keep more than 50 chickens, ducks or other poultry, including pigeons." Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in City of Jersey City?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Hudson 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 Hudson County towns
Compare them side by side in the Hudson 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.