Monroe Township (Middlesex County), NJ Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 108-5.22 of the township's land development chapter governs animals kept on residential lots in Monroe Township, Middlesex County. The starting point is paragraph A: no person shall keep any animal on any residential lot except in accordance with the section. The code then defines a domesticated animal as including horses, goats, sheep, swine, cattle, poultry, fowl and furbearing animals, with household pets excluded. Backyard chickens fall under poultry and fowl.

The core limit is in paragraph D: no domesticated animal on a residential lot except on lots of one acre or more. Number, care and management must follow the Rutgers Cooperative Extension guidelines titled Recommended Guidelines for Home Animal Agriculture and Residential Areas, which the ordinance incorporates as Schedule A.

Placement rules are fixed in paragraph C. No domesticated animal may be allowed in any dwelling house. A building, stable or other structure for the animals, other than horses, cannot be within 50 feet of any building a neighbor uses as a dwelling or for business, cannot be within 50 feet of any property line, and must be in the rear yard. Horse stables are regulated by the zoning district article instead.

There are two exceptions. Household pets such as dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, ferrets, mini-pigs, parrots, parakeets and canaries are outside the section, subject to the licensing requirements of Chapter 33. A 4-H club member may keep registered project animals, registered with the Office of the Township Clerk and verified by the Zoning Officer. On lots under one acre the number of animals is pro-rated under Table 1 of Schedule A, and a structure must sit at least 20% of the lot width from the property line, never less than 20 feet, in the rear yard.

Paragraph E adds health standards: odors and sounds may not interfere with neighboring premises, water must be treated against mosquito breeding, and waste must be disposed of so as to prevent rodents and insects. The Health Officer is authorized to inspect any premises where animals are kept.