Keeping Chickens in Montclair

We are pleased to announce that the revisions to the Township's chicken ordinance have been approved by the Township council! 

As in the past, all chickens/coops are required by Township ordinance to be licensed, similar to cats and dogs. The current ordinance now affords the chickens to be contained in a run, which promotes natural chicken behavior such as ground-scratching, foraging for grubs and taking dust baths. Our goal for these revisions was to offer the chickens a more natural and humane way of life, which, in turn, allows the flock to remain healthy and happy! 

All Montclair residents who own chickens shall submit an application for the chickens & coop on their premises. This application will be processed by Animal Control and and once an Animal Control Officer has reviewed the application, visited the property to inspect the chickens/coop and approves the application, the resident shall pay the $25 license fee and obtain a license number for the current year. All coop licenses shall be renewed annually before the end of the current year. 

Residents are welcome to contact Animal Control with any questions about the coop registration process at [email protected], and please use the subject "chicken coop license". 

Please click on "Chicken Coop License Application" on the left sidebar to access and download the PDF.