Can you keep chickens in Washington Township (Warren), NJ?
Yes, with a license. Washington Township (Warren) allows up to 4 hens on lots under 3 acres and 6 per acre on lots of 3 to 3.99 acres, on one- to four-family homes only, with a township license and zoning approval for the coop.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | Up to 4 on lots of 2.99 acres or less; 6 per acre on lots of 3.0 to 3.99 acres |
| Roosters | Crowing roosters not allowed |
| Permit | Chicken-keeping license from the Township Clerk; zoning approval of the enclosure first |
| Coop setback | Coop at least 75 ft from any neighbor's house; poultry shelters at least 100 ft from any lot line (§ 123-16) |
| Lot size | No minimum; one- to four-family residential properties only |
| Rule adopted | Feb 2023 |
| Ducks | Not allowed |
Good to know
- The residential agriculture definition says up to 6 chickens on lots of 3 acres or less, but subsection (6) caps lots of 2.99 acres or less at 4; we use the stricter 4.
- No guinea fowl, waterfowl, game birds or pigeons, and no other farm animals on lots of 3 acres or less.
- Coop needs 3 sq ft per bird; unfenced yards need an enclosed run with 10 sq ft per bird.
- Birds may free range only in a yard fully fenced at least 4 ft high.
What about ducks?
No on lots of 3 acres or less. Washington Township's residential agriculture allowance is for up to six chickens and expressly excludes waterfowl; larger properties fall under general agriculture rules.
§ 123-2B (Residential Agriculture); § 123-16: "no more than six chickens (excluding crowing roosters, guinea fowl, waterfowl, game birds and other fowl including doves, pigeons, ostriches, emus and the like) on lots with a lots 3.00 acres or less" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Washington Township (Warren)?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Warren 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 Warren County towns
Compare them side by side in the Warren 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.