Can you keep chickens in Township of West Caldwell, NJ?
Yes. You can keep up to 4 chickens without a permit and up to 6 fowl with a $10 Board of Health permit, and roosters are not allowed.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | Up to 4 without a permit; fowl capped at 6 |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required for more than 4: $10 Board of Health permit |
| Coop setback | 50 ft from neighboring doors or windows; 10 ft from neighboring property lines |
| Lot size | No minimum stated |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- Birds must stay outdoors in an enclosure whose location and size the Health Officer approves.
- Fowl can't be kept in a house, store or any building people occupy, and can't fly at large.
- Coops must have a floor that is impervious to moisture and follow the township construction codes.
- A wire porch on the coop is allowed if it's at least 1 ft off the ground and extends no more than 4 ft.
What about ducks?
Yes, within limits. West Caldwell's rule covers 'live chickens, pigeons or other fowl,' and the same chapter lists ducks as live poultry, so ducks share the hen limits: a few without a permit, more with a Board of Health permit, and pens 50 feet from neighbors' doors and windows.
§§ BH3-3.1 to BH3-3.5: "No person shall keep or permit to be kept more than four small animals, live chickens, pigeons or other fowl without first having obtained a permit from the Board" Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Township of West Caldwell?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Essex 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 Essex County towns
Compare them side by side in the Essex 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.