Can you keep chickens in Borough of Matawan, NJ?
Yes. Matawan's 2024 ordinance lets residents keep hens on a residential lot with a zoning permit and a $25 annual license, from 2 hens at 2,000 square feet up to a cap of 10 hens.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | Up to 10 hens, by lot size |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required: zoning permit plus $25 annual license |
| Coop setback | Rear yard only, at least 7 feet from a property line and 30 feet from a neighboring dwelling |
| Lot size | No minimum stated (the chart starts at 2,000 square feet for 2 hens) |
Good to know
- Added 10-15-2024 by Ord. No. 2024-23, which also amended the Board of Health animal ban to carve out § 34-113.
- The hen count follows lot size: 2 hens at 2,000 square feet, rising one hen per additional 1,000 square feet, to 10 hens at 10,000 square feet and up.
- The applicant must show proof of an in-person class on keeping poultry. Online classes do not count.
- Coop needs 3 square feet per bird plus an attached run of 5 square feet per bird; no slaughtering in the Borough, no selling.
- The Board of Health chapter separately says animal housing must sit at least 15 feet from any adjacent property line, so check which figure the Borough applies.
Source: Borough of Matawan Code (eCode360), § 34-113 to § 34-113.2, Keeping of Chickens on Residential Lots (view the ordinance)
Verified 2026-09. Ordinances change and zoning can differ by district; always confirm the current rules with the Borough of Matawan clerk or zoning office before you build.
Chicken rules in nearby Monmouth County towns
AberdeenAsbury ParkAtlantic HighlandsBelmarBradley BeachBrielleColts NeckEatontownFair HavenFreeholdHazletHighlandsHolmdelHowellKeansburgKeyportLittle SilverLong BranchManalapanManasquanMarlboroMiddletownMillstoneNeptuneOceanOceanportRed BankRumsonShrewsburySpring Lake HeightsTinton FallsUnion BeachUpper FreeholdWallWest Long Branch
Building a coop in Borough of Matawan?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across MonmouthCounty 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.
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.