Can you keep chickens in Township of Lawrence, NJ?
Lawrence Township permits hens (no roosters) in all residential zones under a $25 zoning permit, with the count set by lot size and coops kept 10 feet off the property line and 30 feet from a neighbor's house.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | 2 to 6, scaled by lot size (2 at 5,000 sq ft, up to 6 at 40,000) |
| Roosters | Prohibited (males removed before 3 months or first crow) |
| Permit | Required ($25 home-agriculture zoning permit) |
| Coop setback | 10 ft from property lines or same-lot structures; 30 ft from an adjacent home; rear yard only |
| Lot size | Minimum 5,000 sq ft |
| Ducks | Not addressed in the code |
Good to know
- The coop is fully enclosed and capped at 6 ft high; the run runs 100 to 400 sq ft.
- Setups can't interfere with drainage swales or septic fields.
- Treated as home agriculture under the Land Development Ordinance.
What about ducks?
Lawrence permits home agriculture in all residential zones, but its detailed limits (permit, lot-size table, coop rules) name only chickens. The township's form does not say whether ducks count as home agriculture, so confirm with the zoning office.
§ 429.H: "Home agriculture activities shall be confined to side or rear yards, except that chicken raising and keeping shall be confined to the rear yard, only." Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Township of Lawrence?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Mercer 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 Mercer County towns
Compare them side by side in the Mercer 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.