Can you keep chickens in Mahwah Township, NJ?
Mahwah allows keeping hens with an annual Board of Health license, but roosters are prohibited. Coops must sit at least 100 feet from any property line and 50 feet from any dwelling, with concrete floors and daily manure removal.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | No stated limit (license fee scales with flock size) |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required (annual Board of Health license) |
| Coop setback | 100 ft from property lines; 50 ft from dwellings; 200 ft from food establishments |
| Lot size | Not specified |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- The Board of Health license renews by April 1 each year (§ BH6-1.1).
- Coops need concrete floors, roosts, drop boards, and daily manure removal (§ BH6-2).
- Roosters and pigeons are prohibited, and keeping fowl for sale is not authorized.
What about ducks?
Yes, with a license. Mahwah's fowl definition includes ducks, so ducks need the same annual Board of Health license and meet the same coop setbacks as hens.
§ BH6-1.2a (Fowl); § BH6-1.1; § BH6-2: "anseriformes (ducks, geese, and swans)" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Mahwah Township?
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.