Can you keep chickens in Borough of Saddle River, NJ?
Saddle River allows backyard hens under a Board of Health license (with a plan review) and an 8-foot property-line setback. Roosters and other noisy fowl are prohibited.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | No stated limit (density capped at 1 bird per 3 sq ft of coop floor) |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required (Board of Health license; $10 fowl fee plus $100 plan review) |
| Coop setback | 8 ft from property lines; 30 ft from dwellings; 200 ft from food establishments |
| Lot size | Not specified |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- A Board of Health license is required before keeping poultry, even non-commercially, and coop plans must be approved.
- Coops need concrete floors, roosts, and drop boards, and must be kept clean and inspected.
- Coop construction must also comply with the zoning chapter.
What about ducks?
Yes, with a license. Saddle River's rule covers all live poultry and other fowl, and its animal chapter lists ducks as poultry, so ducks need the same Board of Health license and 8-foot setback as hens.
§§ 219-5, 219-6, 219-12: "No person shall keep or maintain any live poultry, pigeons or other fowl, even for noncommercial purposes, without first having obtained a license" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Borough of Saddle River?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Bergen 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 Bergen County towns
Compare them side by side in the Bergen 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.