Can you keep chickens in Township of Montague, NJ?
Montague allows hens and even a couple of roosters, scaled to your acreage, with a required township license. It's one of the few NJ towns that permits roosters at all.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | By lot size: 6 (under 1.5 ac), 12 (1.5 ac), 18 (2 ac), 24 (2.5 ac), 30 (3 ac), 60 (4 ac), 90 (4+ ac) |
| Roosters | Allowed and capped: 0 under 4 acres, 2 at 4 acres, 3 above 4 acres |
| Permit | Required (township license; renters need prior written owner consent) |
| Coop setback | No numeric setback; coops must be predator-proof and no more than 6 ft high without a permit |
| Lot size | No minimum; the smallest tier is under 1.5 acres for 6 birds |
| Ducks | Not addressed in the code |
Good to know
- Does not apply in the R-4 High Density Residential District; farmland-assessed property is exempt.
- The code states a neighbor's mere dislike of chickens or roosters is not a nuisance.
- Rapid flock die-offs must be reported to the zoning officer within 10 days.
What about ducks?
Unclear. Montague's backyard rule is written for chickens and roosters and the code never mentions ducks, so ask the township.
§§ 76-113 to 76-118: "Chickens and roosters may be kept and maintained on residential property within the Township of Montague only in accordance with the provisions of this article." Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Township of Montague?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Sussex 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 Sussex County towns
Compare them side by side in the Sussex 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.