Can you keep chickens in Township of Plainsboro, NJ?
Plainsboro allows keeping fowl only as a farm use in its R-200 Rural Zone, not in ordinary residential zones, with shelters set well back from lines and neighbors.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | No hard cap for small flocks (100+ fowl triggers larger setbacks) |
| Roosters | Not specified |
| Permit | Allowed as a farm use in the R-200 zone (no separate poultry permit named) |
| Coop setback | Fowl shelter at least 30 ft from side/rear lines and 100 ft from an adjoining dwelling |
| Lot size | R-200 Rural Zone, roughly 0.81-acre minimum lot; fowl not a permitted use in standard residential zones |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- Farm and agricultural activities, including small animal and livestock raising, are a permitted use only in the R-200 Rural Zone.
- Standard residential zones do not list fowl-keeping, so it isn't allowed there.
- Larger flocks (over 100 fowl) face 90-200 ft setbacks.
What about ducks?
Only in the R-200 rural zone. Plainsboro's farm rules cover 'fowl of all kinds,' so ducks are treated like chickens: allowed only as a farm use in the rural zone, with shelters set well back.
§ 101-25; § 101-30: "shall be erected or used for the shelter of more than 100 head of fowl of all kinds or more than two head of other farm livestock." Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Township of Plainsboro?
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.