Whether backyard chickens or livestock are allowed in Middlesex County depends on each municipality's zoning ordinance. Bona fide commercial farms may qualify for protection under New Jersey's Right to Farm Act, which can preempt some local restrictions.
Middlesex County does not regulate backyard poultry or livestock; permission, lot-size minimums, coop setbacks and rooster bans are set by municipal zoning in each town. Residential neighborhoods in denser municipalities like Edison, Woodbridge and New Brunswick often prohibit or tightly limit chickens, while more rural areas may allow them. Qualifying commercial farms of five or more acres (or smaller farms meeting income thresholds) may claim protection under the New Jersey Right to Farm Act (N.J.S.A. 4:1C-1 et seq.), administered by the Middlesex County Agriculture Development Board, which can override certain local standards when an agricultural management practice justifies it.
Municipal zoning penalties for keeping prohibited poultry or livestock; commercial-farm disputes are heard by the County Agriculture Development Board, not municipal court.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
New Brunswick, NJ
Persistent barking is a noise and nuisance violation in New Brunswick. Chapter 8.28 and animal control ordinances apply. N.J.S.A. 4:16 governs dog control st...
New Brunswick, NJ
Construction hours in New Brunswick are governed by Chapter 8.28 (Noise Control). Standard NJ practice: 7 AM–6 PM weekdays, 9 AM–6 PM Saturdays, no Sundays/h...
New Brunswick, NJ
New Brunswick Municipal Code Chapter 8.28 governs noise control. As a dense university city (Rutgers), noise enforcement is active. State noise standards (N....
New Brunswick, NJ
Aircraft noise is federally regulated. New Brunswick is in the flight path of Newark Liberty International Airport. Local ordinances cannot override FAA auth...
New Brunswick, NJ
RV and boat storage on residential streets is extremely limited in New Brunswick's dense urban environment. Local zoning and parking ordinances generally pro...
New Brunswick, NJ
Commercial vehicle parking in residential zones is restricted under New Brunswick's municipal code. State law (N.J.S.A. 39) prohibits oversized commercial ve...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Middlesex County.
See how New Brunswick's chickens & livestock rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.