(BRICK, N.J.) — Elected officials voted to prohibit residents from keeping and breeding roosters in residential areas, while the township’s business administrator outlined the reasons behind the ordinance.
During the September 22 meeting, Brick’s Township Council reviewed an ordinance that would strictly prohibit harboring roosters due to the noise complaints from the residents. The township’s Business Administrator, Joanne Bergin, noted at the meeting that it was the “second biggest complaint” that the township gets.
Photo Credit: Township of Brick / Joanne Bergin at September 22 Township Council Meeting.
OpGov.News had the opportunity to speak to Bergin and learn more about the ordinance, including why it was brought to the council.
Bergin explained that the township has a Code Enforcement Department that takes calls on weekdays and an email address for complaints. The CED “handles all rental certificate inspections,” and the complaints “trend over time.” Once this happens, the CED notifies the administration of the concerns and brings discussion with the Township Council’s Land Use Committee.
“That was the case with rooster complaints. The number of complaints not only to Code Enforcement, but to Council members and the Mayor directly, has grown exponentially in the past year,” Bergin said. She noted that complaints about roosters have been brought to the LUC on a few occasions, but there was a challenge to how best to enforce it.
The new ordinance is not intended to eliminate all roosters; it will grandfather in roosters that were in the township before. The ordinance will prevent anyone from bringing new roosters into Brick.
Bergin stated that the administration, alongside the zoning office, will determine whether a rooster was in Brick Township before by cross-checking an address against an approved enclosure permit. Furthermore, Bergin said that “anyone with roosters must have a proper enclosure approved by zoning.”
The Business Administrator explained that “roosters do not just crow at daybreak; they crow all throughout the day,” and that complaints are always about the noise. She also explained who handles noise complaints within the township and how residents have found filing a complaint frustrating.
The CED does not handle noise complaints; the Brick Township Police Department handles them. However, residents do not want to “bother the police with these kinds of complaints.”
Bergin found that “it was not easy to issue a violation as the police officer must hear the noise at the time of his visit and it must be a consistent sound.”
All councilmembers approved this ordinance for a final read during its next meeting on October 13.
To add to or correct any information in this report or to share tips or a story, please contact me at alexis.n@lead4earth.org.
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