[Adopted 12-3-1962 by Ord. No. 145; amended
in its entirety 11-7-1979 by Ord. No. 29-79 (Ch. 32, Art. I of the
1967 Code)]
For the purpose of this article, the following
terms shall have the meanings indicated:
Collective term to include kennels, pet shops, shelters,
pounds, animal rescue organizations and animal foster homes.
[Added 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18]
Any person or agency designated or certified by the State
of New Jersey to enforce the provisions of this article.
[Added 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18]
An individual or group of individuals who, with or without
salary or compensation, house and care for homeless animals in the
home of an individual or in other facilities with the intent of placing
the animals in responsible, more permanent homes as soon as possible.
[Added 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18]
The home or other facility in which an animal rescue organization
houses and cares for an animal.
[Added 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18]
Any dog, bitch or spayed bitch.[1]
Any dog which has attained the age of seven months or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
Placement of an animal with an individual or group that is
not an animal rescue organization for the purpose of temporarily caring
for the animal, without the individual or group assuming ownership
and with the intent of the individual or group being to relinquish
the animal to a suitable owner when one is located.
[Added 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18]
Shall mean that the pet solid waste is removed at once, without
delay.
[Added 2-1-2006 by Ord. No. 1-06]
Any establishment wherein or whereon the business of boarding
or selling animals for sale is carried on, except a pet shop.
[Amended 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18]
The agency or department of Jefferson Township or any designated
representative thereof charged with administering the issuance and/or
revocation of permits and licenses under the provisions of this article.
[Added 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18]
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
[Added 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18]
Shall be liberally construed under this article to include
any person who has proprietorship in an animal, including any person
having care, custody or control of, or harboring, said animal or keeping
the same under his dominion. A person shall be deemed to have an animal
in his keeping and under his dominion or control whenever the ownership
or custody of any animal is in the possession of an unemancipated
family member or other member of his/her household.
[Amended 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18]
Any individual, corporation, company, partnership, firm,
association, or political subdivision of this state subject to municipal
jurisdiction.
[Added 2-1-2006 by Ord. No. 1-06]
A domesticated animal (other than a disability assistance
animal) kept for amusement or companionship.
[Added 2-1-2006 by Ord. No. 1-06]
A place of business which sells animals, including but not
limited to dogs, cats, birds, fishes, reptiles, rabbits, hamsters
or gerbils, primarily for companionship.
[Amended 6-17-1998 by Ord. No. 18-98]
Waste matter expelled from the bowels of the pet; excrement.
[Added 2-1-2006 by Ord. No. 1-06]
An establishment for the confinement of animals seized either
under the provisions of this article or otherwise.
[Amended 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18]
An establishment where animals are received, housed and distributed.
[Amended 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18]
Includes the failure of the owner, harborer, keeper or person
having care, custody or control of an animal to prevent the occurrence
of any act or the coming into existence of any condition or otherwise
regulated by this article, regardless of the prior knowledge thereof
by such owner, harborer, keeper or person having care, custody or
control of the animal.
[Amended 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18]
A.
License and registration tag.
(1)
Any person who shall own, keep, harbor or maintain
a dog of licensing age within the Township of Jefferson shall, during
the month of January of each year, apply for and procure from the
office of the Division of Health of the Township of Jefferson, or
other official designated by the governing body of the municipality,
a license and official metal registration tag for each such dog so
owned, kept, harbored or maintained and shall place upon each such
dog a collar or harness to which there shall be secured the license
registration tag and rabies inoculation tag.
(2)
The owner of any newly acquired dog of licensing age
or any dog which attains licensing age shall make application for
a license and registration tag for such dog within 10 days after such
acquisition or age attainment.
(3)
Any person who shall bring or shall cause to be brought into the Township of Jefferson any dog licensed in another state for the current year and bearing a registration tag and who shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the Township for a period of more than 90 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag for each such dog, unless such dog shall be licensed under § 146-3G.
B.
Fees.
(1)
The person applying for the license and registration
tag shall pay a fee on an annual basis of $15, inclusive of all state
charges and fees, assessed through the Township, for each dog and
including a registration tag for each dog; provided, however, that
where the owner shall provide the registering authority with proof,
in writing and signed by a veterinarian or another recognized agency
of this state or another state, that said dog has been neutered or
spayed, then in that event, the license and registration fee for each
such dog shall be $10, inclusive of all other state charges and fees
assessed through the Township. No license or registration tag shall
be issued unless there shall be presented to the licensing authority
evidence that the dog to be licensed has received inoculation of an
antirabies vaccine for a period equivalent to that for which the license
is sought or a certificate or exemption form this requirement. In
addition, there shall be a fee of $2 paid to replace any license tag.
[Amended 9-7-1983 by Ord. No. 17-83; 12-6-1984 by Ord. No.
17-84; 12-19-1989 by Ord. No. 17-89; 3-17-2004 by Ord. No. 4-04; 12-18-2019 by Ord. No. 19-32]
(2)
For each renewal of an issued license, the fee for
license and registration shall be the same as for the original license
and tag. The license and registration tag shall expire on the last
day of January of the year following the issuance of the license.
(3)
Any person who shall own, keep, maintain or harbor
an unlicensed dog of licensing age after the last day of January of
each year shall be required to pay a delinquent licensing fee of $3
for each license or license renewal after the last day of the month
when said license or renewal thereof should have been applied for,
and an additional late charge of $3 shall be assessed for each month,
or part thereof, thereafter. The payment of the delinquent or late
fees or charges required under this provision shall not relieve any
person from liability to prosecution for violation of this article.
[Amended 12-18-2019 by Ord. No. 19-32]
(4)
Dogs used as guides and commonly known as "Seeing
Eye" dogs shall be licensed and registered as other dogs hereinabove
provided for, except that the owner or keeper of such dog shall not
be required to pay any fee therefor.
C.
Application for license. The application for a dog
license shall state the breed, sex, age, color and markings of the
dog for which the license and registration are sought, whether it
is a long- or short-haired variety and the name by which the dog is
known or called; also the name, street and post office address of
the owner and person who shall keep, harbor or maintain such dog within
the Township of Jefferson. The information on the application and
the registration number issued for the dog shall be preserved for
a period of three years by the Township Division of Health. Additionally,
the Township Division of Health shall forward similar information
to the State Department of Health and Senior Services each month on
forms furnished by the Department. Registration numbers shall be issued
in the order of the applications received.
D.
Removal of tags. No person, except an officer in the
performance of his duties, shall remove a registration tag from the
collar of any dog without the consent of the owner, nor shall any
person attach a registration tag to a dog for which it was not issued.
E.
Each property shall have no more than five dogs on lots smaller than one acre. Each property owner shall have no more than eight dogs on lots greater than one acre. Properties harboring seven or more dogs and not being a kennel, shelter or pet shop, as defined in Article I of Chapter 146, must register as a pet collective as defined in Article V of Chapter 146.
[Added 11-11-2020 by Ord. No. 20-21]
[Amended 9-15-1999 by Ord. No. 28-99; 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18; 6-29-2022 by Ord. No. 22-14]
A.
Any person who keeps or operates or proposes to establish
an animal care facility shall, in the case of a renewal of the license,
apply to the licensing authority. Applications for the creation of
new establishments shall be made to the Township Council through the
Municipal Clerk's Office.
B.
The application shall describe the premises where
the establishment is located or is proposed to be located and the
purpose or purposes for which it is to be maintained. All applicants
must provide a copy of the VPH1 Health Inspection Form, indicating
an inspection has been completed by the Health Department and that
the facility is in compliance with local and state rules and regulations
governing locations and sanitation at each such establishment. First-time
applicants or applicants with a change in location must provide written
approval from the Zoning Officer.
C.
All licenses issued for an animal care facility shall
state the purpose for which the establishment is maintained, and all
such licenses shall expire on the last day of June of each year and
be subject to revocation by the Township Council on recommendation
of the State Department of Health and Senior Services or the Division
of Health of the Township of Jefferson for failure to comply with
the rules and regulations of the State Department of Health and Senior
Services or the Township Division of Health governing the same after
the owner has been afforded a hearing by either the State Department
of Health and Senior Services or the Division of Health of the Township.
D.
Any person holding such license shall not be required
to secure individual licenses for dogs and cats owned by such licensee
and kept at such establishments. Such licenses shall not be transferable
to another owner or different premises.
E.
The total number of licenses issued to animal care
facilities combined shall not exceed 10, excluding the Township of
Jefferson pound.
G.
The annual license fee for an animal care facility
providing accommodations for 10 or fewer animals shall be $50 and
for more than 10 animals shall be $100. No fee shall be charged for
the Township of Jefferson pound.
H.
No animal kept in an animal care facility shall be
permitted off such premises except on a leash or in a crate or other
device designed to contain animals or under other safe control.
I.
The Division of Health of the Township of Jefferson
or any other person appointed by the Township Council of the Township
to license dogs and cats in the municipality shall forward to the
State Department of Health and Senior Services a list of all animal
care facilities licensed within 30 days after the licenses therefor
are issued, which list shall include the name and address of the licensee
and the kind of license issued.
License fees collected or received under the
provisions of this article, except registration tag fees, shall be
received and forwarded to the Treasurer of the Township of Jefferson
within 30 days after collection or receipt and shall be placed in
a separate account, separate from any of the other accounts of the
municipality, and shall be used for the following purposes only:
A.
For collecting, keeping and disposing of dogs liable
to seizure under this article; for local prevention and control of
rabies; for providing antirabies treatment under the decision of the
local Division of Health of the Township of Jefferson for any person
known or suspected to have been exposed to rabies; for payment of
obligations established in accordance with N.J.S.A. 4:19-5; and for
administering the provisions of this article. Any unexpended balance
remaining in such special account shall be retained therein until
the end of the third fiscal year following, and at the end of each
fiscal year thereafter there shall be transferred from such special
account to the general funds of the municipality any amount then in
such account which is in excess of the total amount paid into said
special account during the last two fiscal years next preceding.
B.
The per annum registration tag fee of $0.50 for each
dog shall be forwarded within 30 days after collection by the Division
of Health of the Township of Jefferson, or other official designated
to license dogs, to the State Department of Health and Senior Services.
A.
The Division of Health shall keep and maintain a record
of any reported complaint made against any dog, including complaints
involving any alleged incident pertaining to the dog's having bitten
any person or animal within the Township, together with any record
of Municipal Court action pertaining to the same.
B.
Census; list of owners. Any person appointed for the
purpose by the administration of the Township of Jefferson shall annually
cause a canvass to be made of any dogs owned, kept or harbored within
the limits of the Township and shall report on or before the first
day of May of each year to the Division of Health of the Township
or other person designated to license dogs within the municipality
and to the State Board of Health and Senior Services and the Township
Division of Health, setting forth in separate columns the names and
addresses of persons owning, keeping or harboring or maintaining unlicensed
dogs and the number of unlicensed dogs owned, kept, harbored or maintained
by each of said persons, together with a complete description of each
of said unlicensed dogs.
A.
The Township Administrator shall appoint and employ
the Animal Control Officer, who shall come under the jurisdiction
of the Department of Health and Welfare.
B.
All police officers of the Township, regular and special,
the Code Enforcement Officer, the Animal Control Officer and the Health
Law Enforcement Officer (HLEO) are hereby given full power and authority
and are charged with the duty to enforce this article.
[Amended 7-7-2021 by Ord. No. 21-18]
A.
The Animal Control Officer shall take into custody
and impound or cause to be taken into custody and impounded and thereafter
destroyed or offered for adoption as provided in this section:
(1)
Any dog off the premises of the owner or of the person
keeping or harboring said dog which said official or his agents have
reason to believe is a stray dog.
(2)
Any dog off the premises of the owner or the person
keeping or harboring said dog without a current registration tag on
his collar.
(3)
Any female dog in season off the premises of the owner
or of the person keeping or harboring said dog.
B.
If any dog so seized wears a collar or harness having
inscribed thereon or attached thereto the name and address of any
person or a registration tag, or if the owner or the person keeping
or harboring the dog is known, the Animal Control Officer shall forthwith
serve on the person whose address is given on the collar or on the
owner or the person keeping or harboring the dog, if known, a notice
stating that the dog has been seized and will be liable to be offered
for adoption or destroyed if not claimed within seven days after the
service of the notice.
C.
A notice under this section may be served either by
delivering it to the person on whom it is served, or by leaving it
at the person's usual or last known place of abode or at the address
given on the collar, or by forwarding it by post in a prepaid letter
addressed to that person at his usual or last known place of abode
or to the address given on the collar.
D.
When any dog so seized has been detained for seven
days after notice, when notice can be given as above set forth, or
has been detained seven days after seizure when notice has not been
and cannot be given as above set forth and if the owner or the person
keeping or harboring the dog has not claimed said dog and paid expenses
incurred by reason of its detention, including a detention fee of
$25 per day, a maintenance fee of $4 per day, together with a pickup
fee of $25, and if the dog is unlicensed at the time of the seizure
and the owner or person keeping or harboring the dog has not produced
a license and registration tag for the dog, the Animal Control Officer
may cause the dog to be destroyed in a manner causing as little pain
as possible and consistent with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 4:22-19
or offered for adoption.
[Amended 5-18-2022 by Ord. No. 22-13]
Any officer or agent authorized or empowered
to perform any duty under this article may go upon any premises to
seize for impounding any dog or dogs, which he may lawfully seize
and impound when such officer is in immediate pursuit of such dog
or dogs, except upon the premises of the owner of the dog if the owner
is present and forbids the same.
No person shall hinder, molest or interfere
with anyone authorized or empowered to perform any duty under this
article.
No person shall keep, harbor or maintain any
dog which habitually barks, howls or cries. The habitual barking,
howling or crying of a dog or dogs in the Township of Jefferson is
hereby declared to be a disturbing noise within the meaning of N.J.S.A.
40:48-1, Subsection 8, and is further declared to be a nuisance.
A.
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog shall
suffer or permit the dog to run at large within the Township. This
shall not apply to hunting dogs while they are in the woods and fields
of the Township and are under the dominion and control of the owners.
B.
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog shall
suffer it to be upon the public street or in any public place of the
Township of Jefferson unless such dog is securely confined and controlled
by an adequate leash or tether of adequate and sufficient strength
to restrain the animal and which shall be not more than six feet in
length.
A.
Term defined; impoundment and investigation; hearing.
(1)
For the purpose of this section, any dog which has
attacked or bitten any human being or which habitually attacks other
dogs or domestic animals is hereby defined to be a "vicious dog."
(2)
It shall be the duty of the Animal Control Officer
to either impound said animal or to place the animal under quarantined
impoundment at the residence of the owner. The owner shall cause the
animal to be forthwith examined by a veterinarian who shall provide
the Division of Health with a certificate as to the physical and emotional
condition of the animal, which certificate shall be received within
10 days of the date of impoundment, and which report shall be provided
at the expense of the owner. No dog shall be released from impoundment
until authorized by the Division of Health. During this period of
impoundment, it shall be the duty of the Animal Control Officer to
investigate the complaint against the dog, and when any dog complained
against shall be deemed by the Division of Health to be a vicious
dog as herein defined, the Division of Health shall report the facts
to the Municipal Court, which shall thereupon cause the owner or person
harboring such dog to appear before said Judge at a stated time and
place. The Judge of the Municipal Court, at the time set for such
hearing, shall inquire into the facts and give all interested persons
an opportunity to be heard under oath and to be represented by counsel,
and the Judge shall decide in accordance with the evidence before
him whether or not such dog is vicious, as defined by this section.
(3)
Nothing herein stated shall be deemed to prevent the
filing of a complaint with the Municipal Court by any citizen who
has been bitten by a dog or whose children or domestic animals have
been bitten by a dog.
B.
In the event that the dog complained against is declared
to be a vicious dog at the hearing aforesaid, the Judge shall cause
a record thereof to be kept by the Clerk of the Court and shall also
cause a written copy thereof to be served upon the Animal Control
Officer and upon the owner or harborer of such dog. Thereafter, if
the same dog shall again be charged with having attacked or bitten
any human being or with having habitually attacked other dogs or domestic
animals, the Animal Control Officer shall file a complaint against
such dog, charging it under this section with attacking other dogs
or domestic animals, as the case may be, for the second time, and
shall serve a summons, with a copy of the complaint annexed, upon
the owner or harborer of such dog.
C.
At the hearing, a certified copy of the record of
the prior hearing of the viciousness of such dog shall be admitted
into evidence The Judge shall thereupon inquire into the facts and
give all interested persons an opportunity to be heard under oath
and to be represented by counsel. If the Judge finds from the evidence
that sufficient proof has been adduced to support the charge laid
in the complaint and, further, finds that there are reasonable grounds
to believe that the destruction of such dog is necessary to prevent
further harm to persons and to domestic animals, he shall command
the Animal Control Officer to destroy such dog as painlessly as possible
within a specified time; provided, however, that the following shall
be deemed to be valid defenses in both such hearings:
(1)
That the biting by such dog occurred while the dog
was confined on the property of the owner or harborer thereof and
was securely chained or in a pen or other fenced-in area thereon.
(2)
That the dog was provoked by the person or domestic
animal bitten or attacked, whether such biting or attacking occurred
on the premises of the owner or harborer of such dog or at any other
place in the Township.
D.
Upon a determination made in the Municipal Court that
a dog is vicious, in addition to any fine, penalty or conditions imposed
by the Court, the owner of said dog shall, in the event that the dog
is continued to be maintained within the Township of Jefferson, be
required to comply with the following regulations:
(1)
Where the dog is maintained upon the premises in a
shelter other than the residence of the owner, the shelter must be
enclosed by a fencing of sufficient height and strength to retain
the animal within the enclosure.
(2)
"Beware of vicious dog" signs must be posted at all
means of ingress and egress to the property.
[1]
Editor's Note: See also N.J.S.A. 4:19-17 et
seq.
It shall be unlawful for any owner, keeper or
person in whose care, custody or control a dog has been left to:
A.
Keep or maintain any dog leashed or tethered in the
open upon any property within the Township without providing said
animal with adequate food, water and a place of shelter within the
radius of the tether or leash.
B.
Tether or leash a dog by tying the same directly to
the neck of the animal or by connecting a leash or tether to a choke
collar.
C.
Tether or leash a dog so as to permit or suffer the
animal to block or interfere with any gate, walk, path or steps when
the same constitutes the means of ingress or egress to the premises
from the public way; provided, however, that this provision shall
not prevent any person from permitting a dog to run at large upon
private premises where the same are totally enclosed by a fence of
sufficient and adequate strength and height to prevent the animal
from leaving the enclosure, and provided further that there is posted
conspicuously at all entrances to the premises a sign with lettering
at least two inches and not more than three inches in height and at
least 1 1/2 inches and not more than three inches in width, said
sign being 12 inches in height and width, stating that there is a
dog running at large upon said premises.
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog
shall permit or suffer it to do any injury to any person or to do
any damage to any lawn, shrubbery, flowers, grounds or property.
[Amended 2-1-2006 by Ord. No. 1-06]
All pet owners and keepers are required to immediately
and properly dispose of their pet’s solid waste deposit on any
property, public or private, not owned or possessed by that person.
Proper disposal shall mean the placement in a designated waste receptacle,
or other suitable container, and discarded in a refuse container which
is regularly emptied by the municipality or some other refuse collector;
or disposal into a system designed to convey domestic sewage for proper
treatment and disposal.[1]
A.
Any person who violates or refuses to comply with
any licensing provision as set forth in this article and fails to
license an animal as required shall be liable to a fine of not less
than $25 nor more than $100, plus costs of court for each offense.
[Amended 5-19-1993 by Ord. No. 4-93]
B.
Penalties for dogs running at large.
[Amended 9-15-2020 by Ord. No. 20-19]
(1)
Any person who shall violate § 146-11 shall be liable to a fine of not less than $50 nor more than $500, plus costs of court, for the first offense and to a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000, plus costs of court, for a second offense and each offense thereafter in the discretion of the court.
(2)
Any person who shall be deemed to suffer a dog previously determined to be vicious under § 146-12 to run at large shall be liable to a fine of not less than $200 nor more than $500, plus costs of court, for the first offense or to imprisonment for a period of not more than 10 days, or both, in the discretion of the court, and to a fine of not less than $300 nor more than $1,000, plus costs of court, in the discretion of the court, for a second offense and each offense thereafter.
(3)
Any owner who suffers a vicious dog to run at large
within the Township shall, in the event that said animal is deemed
to have bitten any person or other domestic animal, be subject to
a fine of not less than $300 and not more than $1,000.
C.
All other offenses for which a penalty is not provided
under this section shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $500.
[Amended 9-15-2020 by Ord. No. 20-19]