NJ chicken rules · Monmouth County
Can you keep chickens in Township of Middletown, NJ?
Middletown has no dedicated backyard-chicken ordinance and sets no hen limit. Chickens and roosters are treated as farm animals that simply must be kept contained, so whether you can keep them comes down to whether your zone permits agriculture. Confirm with the township.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Unclear |
| Hens | Not specified (no numeric limit in the code) |
| Roosters | Allowed if contained |
| Permit | Not required to keep chickens (any farm use follows normal zoning) |
| Coop setback | Not specified (follows zoning and farm-building standards) |
| Lot size | Not specified (tied to whether your zone permits agriculture) |
Good to know
- The only code text naming chickens says farm animals, including chickens and roosters, must not run at large (§ 137-22).
- There is no hen limit or lot-size figure in the code; numbers circulated online are misattributed to other towns.
- Whether you may keep chickens depends on your parcel's zone, so confirm with the township.
Source: Township of Middletown Code, § 137-22 (Municode), § 137-22 — view the ordinance
Verified 2026-09. Ordinances change and zoning can differ by district — always confirm the current rules with the Township of Middletown clerk or zoning office before you build.
Building a coop in Township of Middletown?
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.
New to this? Start with how to raise chickens in NJ, or what a coop costs.
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