Can you keep chickens in Borough of Woodcliff Lake, NJ?
Woodcliff Lake permits backyard hens under a $3 Board of Health license that sets the maximum number, requires an 8-foot property-line setback, and prohibits roosters.
The rules at a glance
| Chickens allowed | Yes, with conditions |
| Hens | Set by the Board of Health license (density capped at 1 bird per 3 sq ft of coop floor) |
| Roosters | Prohibited |
| Permit | Required ($3 Board of Health license) |
| Coop setback | 8 ft from property lines; 30 ft from dwellings |
| Lot size | Not specified |
| Ducks | Same rules as chickens |
Good to know
- The poultry article was newly adopted in 2024.
- The license names the location and the maximum number of birds.
- Poultry must be confined in a house with an enclosed run.
What about ducks?
Ducks are treated like chickens. Woodcliff Lake defines poultry to include ducks, so keeping them needs a Board of Health license and a coop or run meeting the same rules.
§ 392-19; §§ 392-20, 392-25, 392-27: "POULTRY Includes chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, pheasants, all birds or poultry of any kind and description." Duck coops we build.
Building a coop in Borough of Woodcliff Lake?
Triano Farms builds custom, predator-proof chicken coops on-site across Bergen 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 Bergen County towns
Compare them side by side in the Bergen 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.