NJ chicken rules · Hunterdon County
Can you keep chickens in Township of Union, NJ?
Union Township is an agricultural-preservation town where farming and raising animals is a permitted use and the right to farm is protected, but the code frames poultry as agriculture rather than setting a backyard-hen number. Confirm the exact standard with the township.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Unclear |
| Hens | Not specified (governed by the Table of Use Regulations) |
| Roosters | Not specified |
| Permit | Zoning permit for uses generally; no poultry-specific permit found |
| Coop setback | Not specified |
| Lot size | A "farm" is defined as at least 5 acres used solely for agriculture |
Good to know
- Districts include Agricultural Preservation, Country Residential, and Village Residential.
- The right to farm is expressly protected in the code.
- The exact per-lot poultry standard should be confirmed in the Table of Use Regulations. This is the Hunterdon County Union Township, not Union County's.
Source: Township of Union (Hunterdon) Code, Ch. 30 Land Use (eCode360), § 30-2; § 30-11.14 — view the ordinance
Verified 2026-09. Ordinances change and zoning can differ by district — always confirm the current rules with the Township of Union clerk or zoning office before you build.
Building a coop in Township of Union?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across HunterdonCounty and all of New Jersey, sized to your flock and built to your town's rules.
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.