Brick officials unanimously backed a new prohibition on roosters after repeated complaints about crowing in residential neighborhoods.

BRICK TOWNSHIP, NJ — Brick Township is moving to stop residents from adding new roosters to residential properties after officials said complaints about persistent crowing have become one of the township’s most common quality-of-life issues.

According to township officials, crowing cocks have become a huge problem for the community and police have not been able to get a firm grip on the growing issue.

The ordinance, discussed by the Township Council after several Land Use Committee meetings, will prohibit the keeping of new roosters while allowing birds already legally kept with existing permits and enclosures to remain.

Council Vice President Derrick Ambrosino said the measure was drafted after the township received a series of complaints from residents about roosters in residential neighborhoods.

Complaints Put Roosters on Council Agenda

“This is something that has been discussed during a couple of Land Use Committee meetings,” Ambrosino said.

He said officials had been hearing complaints about roosters throughout Brick Township, prompting the council to take up a formal ordinance.

The issue proved difficult to address under the township’s existing rules, officials said, particularly as complaints involving crowing surfaced in different neighborhoods. Cops have been having a problem grasping the situation, saying they were not able to witness the cocks in action, leading to frustration for the residents. By the time the police show up, the roosters typically stopped crowing.

Bergin: ‘They Crow All Day Long’

Business Administrator Joanne Bergin said the problem goes well beyond the familiar early-morning wake-up call associated with roosters.

“They crow all day long,” Bergin said. “It’s a constant stream.”

She said rooster complaints have become the township’s second-biggest category of complaints.

That volume ultimately pushed officials toward a broader prohibition rather than continuing to handle cases one at a time.

Existing Roosters Will Be Grandfathered

The ordinance will not force residents who already legally keep roosters to immediately remove them.

Officials said roosters currently housed under existing permits and in approved enclosures will be grandfathered under the new rules.

Going forward, however, the township will not allow new roosters to be added.

The change adds another local quality-of-life regulation to the books in Ocean County, where municipalities regularly use zoning and property-maintenance ordinances to address disputes involving residential land use.

Cohen Ruffles Some Feathers

Councilman Gregory Cohen acknowledged the unusual subject matter with a string of poultry-themed remarks during the discussion.

“I just can’t believe we’re up here talking about roosters,” Cohen said. “It’s the first time I’ve had to ruffle so many feathers over a wake-up call.”

Cohen said his initial reaction to seeing the ordinance was disbelief.

“When I read this, I was like, ‘Roosters, really?’” he said.

The jokes aside, council members ultimately agreed the complaints warranted action.

The council voted unanimously in favor of the rooster prohibition.