Backyard Chickens in Jersey City, New Jersey

Can you keep chickens in Jersey City?

Thinking about keeping backyard chickens in Jersey City? The city actually allows it — with a license — letting residents keep up to 50 birds as long as coops stay 25 feet from neighboring homes and meet strict cleanliness and housing standards. Here's what Peggy's Happy Chickens found in the actual municipal code.

Yes – with conditions

Yes. Jersey City permits residents to keep pigeons, chickens, and other poultry, but only with a license and subject to strict location, number, and housing rules under Chapter 90 (Animals), §§ 90-6 through 90-8 of the Jersey City Code.

Under § 90-6, no person may keep more than 50 chickens, ducks, or other poultry (including pigeons) on a property, and no coop, pen, or bird may be kept or allowed to run within 25 feet of any structure owned by another person and used for human habitation, occupation, or assembly.

§ 90-7 requires a license from the city's license-issuing authority before keeping any pigeons, chickens, or other poultry; the annual fee is set by the city's fee schedule (Chapter 160), and licenses expire every April 30.

The ordinance text (as codified) does not carve out a separate rule for roosters versus hens — it regulates "chickens" and "poultry" generally — but multiple independent sources note that keeping crowing roosters in Jersey City runs into the city's noise/nuisance restrictions, and are commonly treated as not permitted in practice.

Note: This poultry-keeping allowance is separate from Jersey City's broader ban on keeping other livestock (e.g., goats, cattle) within city limits, which is enforced by the city's Division of Environmental Health.

Read the ordinance ↗

The rules at a glance

Hens in city limits: Allowed
How many hens: 50
Roosters: No
Permit required: Yes
Setback from property line: 25 ft.

Peggy knows Jersey City

The rules, straight from the municipal code.

Under § 90-8, any house or coop used to keep pigeons, chickens, or other poultry must meet these standards:

The house or coop must be dry and well-ventilated, with windows positioned to admit sunlight where possible.
The house or coop must be whitewashed or painted on the interior.
The house or coop must be cleaned at least once a week between November 1 and May 1, and twice a week between May 1 and November 1 — more often if necessary, and disinfected as needed.
Perches must be removable and kept clean.
Nests must be removable, cleaned, aired, and sunned at frequent intervals.
Drinking fountains in the coop area must be cleaned and supplied with clean water at all times.
The yard around the coop must be kept clean and free from odors.

No coop, pen, or bird may be located within 25 feet of a neighboring occupied structure (§ 90-6), and a license under § 90-7 is required before any birds are kept.

Where this comes from

Keeping a flock happy in Jersey City

🌡️ Climate

USDA Hardiness Zone 7a/7b – Humid Continental (Northeast Urban Coastal)

Jersey City sits in a humid continental climate zone tempered by its coastal/harbor location. Summers are warm and humid (frequently in the 80s–90s°F), while winters bring freezing temperatures, occasional snow, and damp cold. Coops need good ventilation to manage summer humidity and heat, plus draft-free (but not sealed) housing and frostbite prevention for combs/wattles in winter.

🦝 Who's after your hens

RaccoonHawkOpossumWeasel

In a dense urban environment like Jersey City, the most common threats to backyard flocks are raccoons (which are dexterous enough to open simple latches), hawks (including red-tailed and Cooper's hawks, which are federally protected and must be deterred rather than harmed), opossums (which typically go after eggs or very small birds), and occasionally weasels in yards near green space or waterfront parkland. Secure, latched coops and covered runs are strongly recommended.

🐔 Breeds that do well here

Plymouth Rock, Buff Orpington, Rhode Island Red, Wyandotte, Australorp, Easter Egger

Our package comes with two Rhode Island Reds – hardy in heat and cold, and friendly with kids.

Questions people ask about Jersey City

▸Do I need a permit to keep chickens in Jersey City?

Yes. Under Chapter 90, § 90-7 of the Jersey City Code, no person may keep pigeons, chickens, or other poultry without first obtaining a license from the city's license-issuing authority. Licenses expire annually on April 30, and the fee is set by the city's fee schedule (Chapter 160).

▸How many chickens can I have in Jersey City?

Jersey City's code (§ 90-6) sets a maximum of 50 chickens, ducks, or other poultry (including pigeons) per property — one of the more generous flock limits among North Jersey cities.

▸Are roosters allowed in Jersey City?

The codified ordinance regulates "chickens" and "poultry" broadly without a separate rooster provision, but roosters are widely treated as effectively restricted due to noise/nuisance rules, and secondary sources reporting on the ordinance list roosters as not allowed.

▸How far must my coop be from my neighbor's house?

Per § 90-6, no coop, pen, or bird may be kept or allowed to run within 25 feet of any structure owned by another person that is used for human habitation, occupation, or assembly.

▸What are the coop cleanliness requirements?

Section 90-8 requires coops to be cleaned at least once a week from November through April and twice a week from May through October, kept whitewashed/painted inside, well-ventilated, and free of odor, with removable perches and nests and clean drinking water at all times.

City rules change, and this page is a summary rather than legal advice. Please confirm with Jersey City or your HOA before you order – and call us on (559) 321-7271 if you'd like a hand. Last checked September 16, 2026.