Can you keep chickens in Township of Little Falls, NJ?
Little Falls allows backyard hens (no roosters) with a $25 annual permit, kept in a backyard coop set back at least 5 feet from property lines and the home.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | No stated cap; "chicken" is defined as female chickens only |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required ($25/year via the Health Officer, one per property, renewed each December) |
| Coop setback | No coop or enclosure within 5 ft of any property line or within 5 ft of the residence; backyard only |
| Lot size | Single-family or two-family dwelling properties only |
| Ducks | Not addressed in the code |
Good to know
- Chicken enclosure capped at 40 sq ft; coop and fence no more than 6 ft high; no free-ranging.
- No slaughtering, and selling eggs is prohibited.
- A very recent ordinance (adopted October 2025), so older hobby-site summaries are unreliable.
What about ducks?
Unclear. Little Falls' permit program covers female chickens only and the code has no rule for keeping ducks, so ask the township.
§§ 19-70 to 19-76: "For the purpose of this section, a chicken (Gallus Domesticus) refers only to a female chicken." Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Township of Little Falls?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Passaic 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 Passaic County towns
Compare them side by side in the Passaic 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.