Old Bridge, NJ Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 39-5.1, added in 2023, permits chickens on single-family residential lots under five acres as an accessory use once a zoning permit is obtained. The bird count is capped at five female chickens per 5,000 square feet of lot size on a minimum 10,000-square-foot lot, never exceeding 15 chickens total, and no rooster or male chicken may be kept on any lot under five acres. Renters need the property owner's written permission before applying, and the permit terminates automatically on a change of ownership or, for rentals, a change of tenant.

Applicants must show proof of a poultry-keeping education class and pay a one-time $25 fee to the Zoning Office. The coop must provide at least three square feet per bird plus a fully enclosed, attached run of five square feet per bird, with the whole structure capped at 2% of the lot or 600 square feet. Fencing and coop height cannot exceed six feet, concertina and razor wire are prohibited, and the coop and run must sit in the rear yard at least 10 feet from any property line and otherwise meet the accessory-structure setbacks in the Land Development Ordinance's Schedule of Area, Height and Yard Requirements.

Sanitation rules require weekly droppings removal into a covered metal container, covered feed storage, a coop floor raised six inches above grade, and permits for any coop construction, electrical or plumbing work, with underground electric lines only. The Zoning or Code Enforcement Officer may inspect the property periodically, and the Animal Control Officer or Cruelty Investigators may act under state humane-care authority.