Can you keep chickens in Township of Pemberton, NJ?
Only on larger lots and in the right zone. Pemberton has no backyard hen ordinance; poultry falls under agriculture, which is a permitted use in the AR, R-1 and R-3 districts and in R-100 only on lots of one acre or more, and a poultry shelter must sit 50 feet from any lot line.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | No stated limit |
| Roosters | Not specified |
| Permit | Not specified |
| Coop setback | Poultry shelter at least 50 feet from any lot line and 50 feet from any dwelling on the same lot |
| Lot size | Min. 1 acre in the R-100 District |
Good to know
- Agriculture is defined to include poultry and poultry products, and it is a principal permitted use in the AR Agricultural Residential District.
- The R-1 and R-3 districts permit farms under the same provisions that apply in the AR District.
- In the R-100 District agriculture is permitted on lots of one acre or more; the R-60, R-80, R-96 and R-200 districts do not list agriculture as a permitted use.
- Chapter 94 treats chickens and other barnyard fowl as animals for the at-large and noise nuisance rules, but sets no keeping ban or hen limit.
- A farm is defined as a management unit of at least five acres meeting Farmland Assessment criteria, or under five acres producing $50,000 or more a year.
Source: Township of Pemberton Code (eCode360), § 190-30C and E, Accessory buildings and structures; see also §§ 190-12, 190-16 and 190-17 (view the ordinance)
Verified 2026-09. Ordinances change and zoning can differ by district; always confirm the current rules with the Township of Pemberton clerk or zoning office before you build.
Chicken rules in nearby Burlington County towns
Building a coop in Township of Pemberton?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across BurlingtonCounty 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.
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