Can you keep chickens in City of Trenton, NJ?
Yes, but you need a license from the Health Officer before any birds are kept, and the site has to be inspected and approved first. The license costs $10 a year and there is no stated limit on the number of hens.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | No stated limit |
| Roosters | Not specified |
| Permit | Required: $10 annual Health Officer license |
| Coop setback | No distance given; the site must keep odors and sounds off neighboring property |
| Lot size | No minimum stated |
Good to know
- The Health Officer inspects and approves the site before a license is issued, and can suspend the license to abate a nuisance.
- Animals kept as pets, of a species and number usually kept as pets, are exempt from the license and fee requirement.
- Numbers are capped only by a nuisance test: the lot must be big enough to contain the animals and meet their spatial needs.
- Chickens and other poultry are banned inside community gardens under the zoning ordinance, § 315-8.4.E.
Source: City of Trenton Code (eCode360), Ch. 21, Art. III, §§ 21-23 through 21-29, Keeping of Birds and Animals (view the ordinance)
Verified 2026-09. Ordinances change and zoning can differ by district; always confirm the current rules with the City of Trenton clerk or zoning office before you build.
Chicken rules in nearby Mercer County towns
Building a coop in City of Trenton?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across MercerCounty 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.