Can you keep chickens in Borough of Somerville, NJ?
Somerville's health code allows chickens as long as they are not kept in a cellar or dwelling and are confined to a clean, enclosed coop and runway that doesn't become a nuisance. No hen count or permit is set.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | Not specified |
| Roosters | Not specified |
| Permit | None stated in the health chapter |
| Coop setback | Not specified |
| Lot size | Not specified |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- Fowl may not be kept in any cellar or dwelling house and must be confined to a suitable coop with an enclosed runway.
- Enforcement is nuisance-based; the ordinance sets no counts, permits, or distances.
- A separate zoning review could impose additional limits.
What about ducks?
Yes, with basic conditions. Somerville's health code names ducks alongside chickens: they can't be kept in a cellar or house and must be confined in a clean coop with an enclosed run.
§ 178-1: "No swine, goats, cattle, rabbits, guinea pigs, pigeons, chickens, ducks, geese or other fowl shall be kept or maintained in the Borough of Somerville in any cellar or dwelling house." Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Borough of Somerville?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Somerset 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 Somerset County towns
Compare them side by side in the Somerset 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.