Can you keep chickens in Vernon Township, NJ?
Yes. Vernon allows backyard hens based on lot size: up to 6 birds on a lot of at least 100 ft × 200 ft (under an acre), or up to 15 on 1 to 5 acres. Roosters are prohibited and a $50 zoning permit is required.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | 6 birds (100×200 ft lot) up to 15 (1–5 acres) |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required: $50 zoning permit |
| Coop setback | 10 ft side and rear yard; rear yard only |
| Lot size | Min. 100 ft × 200 ft |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- Coops and runs must be in the rear yard and separated from any dwelling.
- A coop or run 200 sq ft or larger also needs health and building department permits.
- Chicken ordinance adopted September 2018.
What about ducks?
Yes. Vernon's fowl rule covers egg-laying ducks as well as hens, so the same lot-size limits, zoning permit and no-roosters rule apply.
§ 330-5 (Fowl); § 330-195: "FOWL Domesticated chickens (hens only, no roosters) or ducks kept primarily for egg-laying purposes." Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Vernon Township?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Sussex 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 Sussex County towns
Compare them side by side in the Sussex 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.