Can you keep chickens in Township of Neptune, NJ?
No. Neptune's zoning use schedules do not permit animal husbandry or the keeping of livestock in any district, and the Land Development Ordinance treats any use it does not list as a prohibited use.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | No |
| Hens | Not permitted |
| Roosters | Not specified |
| Permit | Not available (chickens are banned) |
| Coop setback | Not specified |
| Lot size | Not specified |
Good to know
- Schedule A-1, the use table for the R-1 through R-5 and HD residential districts, has no row for animal husbandry, livestock or poultry.
- Schedule A-2 does have a row for animal husbandry/keeping of livestock, but it carries no P, C or A mark in any business, commercial or industrial district.
- The code has no separate health or animal chapter on chickens. Searches for chickens returned no code hits; poultry and fowl hits were about wholesale poultry businesses, flood definitions and hunting.
- The only poultry uses listed anywhere are commercial ones, such as poultry and poultry product wholesale.
Source: Township of Neptune Code (eCode360), § LDO-408, Schedule A-1 Use Regulations, Residential Zoning Districts; § LDO-201, Definitions (view the ordinance)
Verified 2026-09. Ordinances change and zoning can differ by district; always confirm the current rules with the Township of Neptune clerk or zoning office before you build.
Chicken rules in nearby Monmouth County towns
AberdeenAsbury ParkAtlantic HighlandsBelmarBradley BeachBrielleColts NeckEatontownFair HavenFreeholdHazletHighlandsHolmdelHowellKeansburgKeyportLittle SilverLong BranchManalapanManasquanMarlboroMatawanMiddletownMillstoneOceanOceanportRed BankRumsonShrewsburySpring Lake HeightsTinton FallsUnion BeachUpper FreeholdWallWest Long Branch
We build across Monmouth County
Township of Neptunedoesn't allow backyard chickens today, but ordinances change, and we build custom sheds and animal structures on-site throughout MonmouthCounty and all of New Jersey. If a coop is in your plans, we can help you sort out where it's allowed nearby.
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