Can you keep chickens in Township of Montclair, NJ?
Yes. Montclair allows up to 25 hens with an annual Health Department license and a rear-yard coop set 50 feet from a neighbor's windows and 6 feet off any property line. Roosters are banned.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | Up to 25 |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required ($25/year Health Department license) |
| Coop setback | 50 ft from a neighbor's doors or windows; 6 ft from property lines; 25 ft from wetlands |
| Lot size | No minimum (plan 1.5 sq ft of coop and 8 sq ft of run per bird) |
| Ducks | Not addressed in the code |
Good to know
- The coop must sit in the rear yard, be winterized and elevated, and stand no more than 7 feet tall.
- Manure must be composted or kept in covered containers.
- A 2026 proposal to lower the limit to 6 hens was tabled; the current limit is still 25.
What about ducks?
Montclair's license rules cover chickens and pigeons, and the code defines chicken narrowly as the Gallus species. Ducks are neither allowed nor banned by name, so ask the Health Department before keeping them.
§§ 82-24, 82-25, 82-26, 82-29.3: "CHICKEN All life stages of the fowl of the genus Gallus and species Gallus domesticus." Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Township of Montclair?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Essex 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 Essex County towns
Compare them side by side in the Essex 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.