Can you keep chickens in Municipality of Princeton, NJ?
Princeton lets residents keep hens (no roosters) under a $20 annual license, with the number capped by lot size and the coop set 5 feet off the property line and 15 feet from a neighbor's home.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | 2 to 8 or more, scaled by lot size (2 at 5,000 sq ft, up to 8 at 60,000) |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required ($20/year license) |
| Coop setback | 5 ft from property lines; 15 ft from a neighbor's dwelling; rear yard only |
| Lot size | Minimum 5,000 sq ft |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- The coop and enclosed run are capped at 100 sq ft and 6 ft high.
- Selling eggs is prohibited, and so is slaughter or abandonment.
- Farmland-assessed property is exempt from the article.
What about ducks?
Yes, with a license. Princeton's backyard rule covers chickens and other egg-laying poultry, so female ducks count toward the same lot-size cap and $20 license, and must not be kept in a way that creates a nuisance.
§§ B6-30A, B6-30A.1, B6-30A.4, B6-30A.6: "No person shall keep any female ducks, guinea fowl, geese, pigeons, birds, or other egg-laying fowl within the municipality of Princeton in any unsanitary condition" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Municipality of Princeton?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Mercer 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 Mercer County towns
Compare them side by side in the Mercer 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.