Can you keep chickens in Borough of Ridgefield, NJ?
Unclear. Ridgefield repealed its chicken-raising ordinance in 1974 and gave existing keepers 60 days to stop, and nothing in the code today permits or licenses hens, so ask the borough before you build.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Unclear |
| Hens | Not permitted |
| Roosters | Not specified |
| Permit | Not specified; no section licenses chickens |
| Coop setback | Not specified |
| Lot size | Not specified |
Good to know
- The 1943 ordinance regulating the raising of chickens was repealed in 1974 by Ordinance No. 992.
- Anyone keeping chickens under the old ordinance had to stop within 60 days, and coops and runs had to be removed unless the Building Inspector found them adaptable to another lawful use.
- A separate section bars letting chickens, geese, ducks or other fowl run at large in a public street or place.
- A search of the whole code for chicken, fowl and poultry turns up no section that allows or licenses keeping chickens.
Source: Borough of Ridgefield Code (eCode360), Ch. 131, Art. I, §§ 131-1 through 131-3, Chickens (view the ordinance)
Verified 2026-09. Ordinances change and zoning can differ by district; always confirm the current rules with the Borough of Ridgefield clerk or zoning office before you build.
Chicken rules in nearby Bergen County towns
BergenfieldBogotaCliffside ParkClosterCresskillDumontEast RutherfordEdgewaterElmwood ParkEmersonEnglewoodFair LawnFairviewFort LeeFranklin LakesGarfieldGlen RockHackensackHasbrouck HeightsHillsdaleLeoniaLittle FerryLodiLyndhurstMahwahMaywoodMontvaleNew MilfordNorth ArlingtonOaklandOradellPalisades ParkParamusPark RidgeRamseyRidgefield ParkRidgewoodRiver EdgeRiver ValeRutherfordSaddle BrookSaddle RiverTeaneckTenaflyUpper Saddle RiverWaldwickWallingtonWashingtonWestwoodWood-RidgeWoodcliff LakeWyckoff
Building a coop in Borough of Ridgefield?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across BergenCounty 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.
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.