Can you keep chickens in Township of Toms River, NJ?
Only in one zone. Toms River allows up to six chickens and no roosters for personal use, but only in the Rural Residential Zone, where the minimum lot is one acre.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | Up to 6 chickens |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Not specified |
| Coop setback | Coop for fewer than 100 birds: 50 feet from front, side and rear lines |
| Lot size | No minimum stated |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- Animals are a permitted use in any residential zone, but the keeping of poultry for personal use is limited to the Rural Residential Zone.
- Animals may not be kept for commercial use.
- The Rural Residential Zone has a minimum lot area of 43,560 square feet.
- The R-800 and R/C-3 Conservation Residential zones separately list farm and agriculture activities, including poultry raising, as permitted uses.
What about ducks?
Only in one zone. Toms River allows keeping poultry for personal use only in the Rural Residential Zone, and ducks are poultry, so the same zone and setback rules apply.
§ 348-5.24; § 348-10.5: "The keeping of poultry or livestock (other than horses and not more than six chickens, but excluding roosters) for personal use shall only be permitted in the Rural Residential Zone" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Township of Toms River?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Ocean 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 Ocean County towns
Compare them side by side in the Ocean 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.