Fair Lawn is considering stricter pet laws because of raucous roosters.

FAIR LAWN — The Borough Council is considering enacting legislation to regulate the keeping of farm animals as pets, particularly those that create a clamor that starts before dawn.

Roosters are legal in Fair Lawn, but the city is reconsidering after numerous neighbors complained about sleep disturbances.

Councilwoman Gail Rottenstrich said We have a couple of residents who have complained about roosters, and the council is looking into what we can do to handle that.

Max Khaskin is one of them. Khaskin said his next-door friend erected a chicken coop a few months ago, and he even assisted. However, when she got a rooster, the neighborly relations fell apart.

It crows virtually every morning and all day, and it's quite frightening, Khaskin added. I attempted to reason with her, but she said her daughter is in love with the rooster.

Researchers discovered that a crowing rooster may produce a noise of up to 130 dB.

I have a daughter myself, and I wouldn't want to do anything that would make the neighbor's child uncomfortable, Khaskin continued, but what I would like to see is some kind of guidelines put in place, to limit the noise it creates.

The little animals may make a deafening sound. The sound of roosters crowing has been measured at 130 dB, which is higher than the sound of a lawnmower, which is at 90 decibels. Discover magazine published an article about their efforts.

One of the things we could do is pass an ordinance similar to what Ridgewood has, Rottenstrich said.

More than 300 senior residences are planned for the Fair Lawn neighborhood, which will be close to stores and restaurants.

Three young Fair Lawn inventors have placed first in a nationwide competition.

Ridgewood's regulation prohibits coops from being built within 50 feet of a neighbor's house or any other public gathering area, as well as within 200 feet of any food facility. Coops must also be set back from property lines by at least 10 feet.

No individual shall maintain any crowing rooster or screaming or chattering fowl, according to the law.

Carolyn Adams visits her chickens at Kelly Ruehle's farm in Eaton Rapids on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, while holding her Belgian Mille Fleur rooster. Adams recently gave up five chickens she had on her property after receiving a notice from the city telling her she couldn't keep them. Kelly Ruehle's property now houses Adams' poultry.

Many of the towns in the Fair Lawn area have similar rooster prohibitions. According to Rottenstrich, the borough currently has no ordinance prohibiting the keeping of roosters or chickens.

 don't believe we need to embrace the entire thing, she remarked, only the part about... not letting roosters, poultry that makes loud noises. She stated that the town had already drafted ordinances to address the same issue.

Fair Lawn does have a general noise regulation that prohibits unwanted noises that are physically irritating to humans or so harsh that they interrupt the borough's or anyone's tranquility.

According to Rottenstrich, at least a few borough residences have chickens and roosters. Although many suburban towns in North Jersey allow backyard hens, others expressly forbid them. Chickens, as well as ducks, rabbits, and pigs, are prohibited in densely populated Wallington. Chickens are permitted in some municipalities, such as Millburn in Essex County, although roosters are prohibited.

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