Chickens in Parsippany NJ

[Svet]

Hi yardbirdadvocate! My dad and I live in Lake Hiawatha and we were raising five chickens in our backyard until about a year ago. After raising them for about half a year, we received a letter from our town asking us to relocate our chickens, citing regulation that prohibits chickens without having at least five acres of land. At the time, we were really devastated because we did not feel like we had any options but to lose our chickens and we really enjoyed their company and eggs.

After discovering this thread, we feel like we want to give it another shot. We were wondering if you would be interested in sharing more information about your journey to keeping your chickens?

Other questions we have are:
1. Around how much land is within your property?
2. How did you talk to your neighbors about the chickens and were they supportive?

If you're interested, we'd love to talk more, either here or through email/phone. Thank you!

Hi!
Just curious if you had the issue resolved in Lake Hiawatha. I live here and wanted to check with you as I’m facing the same issue now

 

[yardbirdadvocate]

So, if I understood correctly, we don’t need a permit for pet chicks in Parsippany? Or do we still need to go through zoning dept to get a permit?

The Zoning Department does not give pet permits it's not their purview. Their jurisdiction is land use. If you build a shed you need a permit because it's a structure subject to setback and lot coverage restrictions. You may have a pet animal enclosure if you have a pet. It is ambiguous if you need a permit for a pet animal enclosure since it is not a category of the structures regulated and referenced in the Ordinance.

 

[yardbirdadvocate]

Hi!
Just curious if you had the issue resolved in Lake Hiawatha. I live here and wanted to check with you as I’m facing the same issue now

The issue is resolved. Per sections 430-66 and 430-40D pet chickens are permitted on R-3 lots. All references to 5 acres relates to R-R lots that can be used for agricultural uses such as commercial poultry farming. Having pet chickens is not poultry farming.