[Adopted 12-14-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-51]
This article may be cited as the "Borough of South River Cat
Licensing and Rabies Vaccination Ordinance."
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Any person or agency designated and/or certified by the State
of New Jersey to enforce the provisions of this article.
Any member of the domestic feline species, male or female,
whether neutered or not.
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
When applied to the proprietorship of a cat, includes every
person having a right of property or custody in such cat and every
person who has a cat in his or her keeping, or who harbors or maintains
a cat or who knowingly permits a cat to remain on or about any premises
occupied by that person.
Any cat which has attacked or bitten any human being without
provocation.
A.
Vaccination required; exception. No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain a cat within the Borough of South River unless such cat is vaccinated and licensed. All cats shall be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian in accordance with the latest Compendium of Animal Rabies Vaccines and Recommendations for Immunization, published by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, except as provided for in Subsection C below. The provisions of this section do not apply to cats held in a kennel, pound, licensed animal shelter, pet shop, state or federal licensed research facility or veterinary establishment where cats are received or kept for diagnostic, medical, surgical or other treatment.
B.
Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination shall be issued
to the owner of each cat vaccinated. This certificate shall be in
the form recommended by the State of New Jersey.
C.
Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted by the Borough Clerk from the
requirements of such vaccination for a specified period of time upon
presentation to the Borough Clerk of a veterinarian certificate stating
that because of an infirmity or other physical condition, or regimen
or therapy, the inoculation of such cat should be deemed inadvisable.
A.
License and registration tag required; exception.
(1)
No person shall own, keep or harbor any cat within the Borough of
South River without obtaining a license therefor, to be issued by
the Borough Clerk upon application by the person owning, keeping or
harboring the cat and upon payment of the prescribed fee.
(2)
Any person who owns, keeps or harbors a cat shall, in the month of
January, with renewal thereof expiring on January 31 of the following
year, apply for and receive from the Borough Clerk a license and official
metal registration tag for each cat owned, kept or harbored and shall
place upon each such cat a collar with the registration tag securely
fastened thereto.
(3)
The owner of any newly acquired cat of licensing age or of any cat
which attains licensing age shall make application for a license and
registration tag for that cat within 10 days of acquiring the cat
or of the cat attaining licensing age. Any person who shall bring
or cause to be brought into the Borough of South River any cat licensed
in another state for the current year and bearing a registration tag
and who shall keep the cat within the Borough for a period of more
than 90 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration
tag for that cat. Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought
into the Borough any unlicensed cat and who shall keep the cat within
the Borough for more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license
and registration tag for that cat.
(4)
The requirements of this section shall not apply to feral cats that
are members of a managed colony.
B.
Removal of tag prohibited. No person except an officer in the performance
of his duty shall remove a registration tag from the collar of any
cat without the consent of the owner, nor shall any person attach
a registration tag to a cat for which it was not issued.
C.
Proof of licensing. Proof of licensing shall be produced by any person
owning, keeping, maintaining or harboring a cat upon the request of
any health official, police officer, Animal Control Officer or other
authorized person.
D.
Fees; renewal. A person applying for license and registration tags or renewal thereof shall pay the fees required by § 155-6.[1] Each cat license and registration tag shall expire on the last day of January of the calendar year following the calendar year in which it was issued. Accordingly, all license fees shall be due and payable no later than the last day of January. The license fee shall not be prorated for a portion of the year of initial licensing. Persons who fail to obtain licenses as required within the time period specified in this section will be subject to a delinquent fee as set forth in § 155-6, in addition to any penalty previously set forth below.
E.
Application. The application shall state the breed, sex, age, color
and markings of the cat for which the license and registration are
sought and whether it is of a long- or short-haired variety, as well
as the name, street and post office address of the owner and the person
who shall keep or harbor such cat. The information on said application
and the registration number issued for the cat shall be preserved
for a period of three years by the Borough Clerk.
F.
Any valid New Jersey license tag issued by a New Jersey municipality
shall be accepted by the Borough as evidence of compliance.
License fees and other moneys collected or received under the
provisions of this article shall be forwarded to the Treasurer of
the Borough of South River and shall be placed in a special account
separate from any of the other accounts of the Borough of South River
and shall be used for the following purposes only: collecting, keeping
and disposing of cats liable to seizure; local prevention and control
of rabies; providing anti-rabies treatment under the direction of
the Board of Health for any person known or suspected to have been
exposed to rabies; or administering the provisions of this article.
Any unexpended balance remaining in such special account shall be
retained until the end of the third fiscal year following and may
be used for any of the purposes set forth in this section. At the
end of the third fiscal year following and at the end of each fiscal
year thereafter, there shall be transferred from said special account
to the general funds of the Borough any amount then in such account
which is in excess of the total amount paid into the special account
during the last two fiscal years next preceding.
The Chief of Police and the Animal Control Officer shall have
the primary duty of enforcing this article.
