Hoboken, NJ Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 136-2A(24) of the Nuisances chapter states plainly that no person shall keep or harbor any livestock or unlawful wildlife unless specifically licensed to do so by the Health Officer or pursuant to law, which makes backyard chickens, goats, or other farm animals a licensing matter rather than a by-right use anywhere in the mile-square City. Because Hoboken has no separate chicken-keeping ordinance carving out an exception, an owner without a Health Officer license is in violation the moment the animal is kept on the property, regardless of coop design or flock size.

Section 136-2A(22) adds an independent, condition-based violation: keeping any animal or animals under unsanitary conditions is a nuisance even if the animal is otherwise lawfully kept, and Section 136-2A(23) separately bans continuous barking, crying or other animal noise that disturbs neighbors. The Health Officer, Health Department and Hoboken Police Department, all listed as enforcement agencies under Section 136-1, can act on a livestock or unsanitary-conditions complaint. A violation carries the standard Section 136-8 nuisance penalty schedule, and because each day an unlicensed animal remains on the property is a separate offense, an owner who does not remove or license the animal quickly can face repeated fines rather than a single citation.