Backyard Chicken Rules Contemplated In Cinnaminson

CINNAMINSON, NJ — Cinnaminson Township residents may soon be able to acquire and keep chickens, so long as the township committee adopts a related ordinance that would allow the creation of a pilot program looking into the idea.

The draft ordinance, as it is worded right now, indicates chicken owners would have to meet multiple requirements before, after and during their ownership.

The chickens, which the township said is a means of helping the municipality achieve sustainability, would only be allowed in "certain circumstances," according to a draft of the proposed ordinance that was obtained by Patch.

The proposed ordinance, as it is worded right now, contains verbiage that specifically bans roosters, prohibits selling chicken eggs and bans slaughtering chickens. The proposed ordinance, as it is worded right now, also calls for:

• limiting those who can have chickens to those who live in single-family homes or "twin" homes or "row" homes
• requiring would-be chicken owners to take (at their own expense) a class that teaches the "basics" of raising backyard chickens and obtain a license before acquiring any chickens
• assessing a $10 fee for each license issued and allowing these licenses to be expired (with the option of renewal) on Dec. 31 of each year
• allowing a maximum of 15 backyard chicken licenses in the township at any moment in time
• providing a dry, sunlit, outdoor clean, odor-free "predator-proof" coop for chickens that is at least 2 square feet and no more than 100 square feet; is also no more than 6 inches from the "natural grade; contains "an enclosed run for chickens to access an area outside of the coop" and provides clean water and food for the chickens.
• making sure that the coop and enclosed run are at least 20 feet from the portion of a dwelling in which one lives and five feet from any property line
• ensuring that the chicken's food is kept in a "tightly closed metal container" that located outside the the coop and enclosed run at night and that all waste is "handled in such a way as proper composting to prevent offensive odors or disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner"

If the proposed ordinance passed, the township would also create a Chicken Advisory Board which would be, potentially among other things, responsible for reviewing license applications and investigating alleged violations of the rules that the township sets in regards to chicken ownership, according to the ordinance.

The public can comment on the proposed chicken ordinance at a Cinnaminson Township Committee meeting later this month, according to a public notice issued by the township. The chicken ordinance is scheduled to "be considered for final passage" later this month, according to that same public notice.

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