Can you keep chickens in Township of Old Bridge, NJ?
Old Bridge allows hens (no roosters) with a $25 zoning permit and proof of a poultry-keeping class, scaled by lot size: 5 hens per 5,000 sq ft up to a maximum of 15, in a rear-yard coop set back at least 10 feet from property lines.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | 5 per 5,000 sq ft, up to a maximum of 15 |
| Roosters | Prohibited (no roosters on residential lots under 5 acres) |
| Permit | Required (one-time $25 zoning permit; poultry-keeping class required) |
| Coop setback | 10 ft from adjoining property lines; rear yard only |
| Lot size | Minimum 10,000 sq ft (lots under 5 acres) |
| Ducks | Allowed with conditions |
Good to know
- A modern backyard-hen ordinance adopted in 2023.
- Plan 3 sq ft of coop and 5 sq ft of run per bird; coop and run capped at 2% of the lot or 600 sq ft.
- No slaughter, consumption, or sale of chickens on the property.
What about ducks?
Old Bridge's small-lot allowance covers only female chickens. Ducks fall under other animals, which may be kept only on lots larger than five acres, in numbers that meet the township's health standards.
§ 39-4D; § 39-5.1: "No person shall keep any cows or other animals, excluding common household pets, and chickens kept on residential lots less than five acres, which is regulated pursuant to § 39-5.1 below, except on lots greater than five acres." Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Township of Old Bridge?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Middlesex 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 Middlesex County towns
Compare them side by side in the Middlesex 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.