[Adopted by Ord. No. 1271 (§ 5-2 of the 1987 Code);
as amended by Ord. No. 1419 Ord. No. 1477]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Dog or cat.
Any person or agency designated or certified by the State
of New Jersey to enforce the provisions of this article.
Any member of the domestic feline species; male, female,
or altered.
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months, or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
Any room or group of rooms, cage, or exhibition pen, not
part of a kennel, wherein cats for sale are kept or displayed.
The agency or department of the Borough of Highland Park
or any designated representative thereof charged with administering
the issuance and/or revocation of permits and licenses under the provisions
of this article.
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
When applied to the proprietorship of a cat, shall include
every person having a right of property (or custody) in such cat and
every person who has such cat in his/her keeping, or who harbors or
maintains a cat or knowingly permits a cat to remain on or about any
premises occupied by that person.
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization, or
institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
A.Â
Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall
own, keep, harbor, or maintain any cat over seven months of age within
the Borough of Highland Park, unless such cat is vaccinated and licensed.
The provisions of this article do not apply to cats held in a cattery,
or those held by a state or federal licensed research facility, or
a veterinary establishment where cats are received or kept for diagnostic,
medical, surgical, or other treatments, or licensed animal shelters,
pounds, kennels, or pet shops.
B.Â
Vaccination. 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 D.
C.Â
Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination
shall be issued to the owner of each animal vaccinated on a form recommended
by the state.
D.Â
Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements
of such vaccination for a specified period of time by the local Board
of Health, upon presentation of a veterinarian's certificate stating
that because of an infirmity or other physical condition, or regimen
of therapy, the inoculation of such cat shall be deemed inadvisable.
Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a cat
of licensing age shall annually apply for and procure from the Borough
Clerk a license and official registration tag with license number
for each cat so owned, kept or harbored, and shall place upon such
cat a collar, or other device with the license number securely fastened
or displayed thereof. Acceptable methods of displaying license number
shall include, but are not limited to, breakaway or elastic collars.
License tags are not transferable.
The owner of any newly acquired cat of licensing
age, or of any cat which attains licensing age, shall make application
for license tag for such cat within 10 days after such acquisition
or age attainment. This requirement will not apply to a nonresident
keeping a cat within the Borough of Highland Park for no longer than
90 days.
Any person who shall bring, or cause to be brought
into this Borough any cat licensed in another state for the current
year, and bearing registration tag, and shall keep the same or permit
the same to be kept within the Borough of Highland Park for a period
of more than 90 days, shall immediately apply for a license and registration
tag for each such cat.
The application shall state the breed, sex,
age, color, and markings of the cat for which license and registration
are sought, and whether it is a long- or short-haired variety; also
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 Clerk or other local official designated
to license cats in the municipality.
License forms and official tags shall be furnished
by the municipality and shall be numbered serially, and shall bear
the year of issuance and the name of the municipality.
The Borough Clerk shall not grant any such license and official registration tag for any cat, unless the owner thereof provides evidence that the cat to be licensed and registered has been inoculated with a rabies vaccine of a type approved by and administered in accordance with the recommendations of the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Human Services, or has been certified exempt as provided by § 114-15D of this article. The rabies inoculation shall be administered by a duly licensed veterinarian, or by such other veterinarian permitted by law to do the same.
A license shall be issued after payment of a
fee of $8 for each unneutered cat, and $5 for each neutered cat. Persons
who fail to obtain a license as required within the time period specified
in this article, will be subject to a delinquent fee of $15.
[Amended 6-1-2010 by Ord. No. 10-1783]
Licenses from another municipality shall be accepted. The person applying for the license and registration tag shall pay the fee fixed or authorized. The fee for the renewal shall be the same as for the original licenses and registration tag and said license and renewal shall expire on December 31st in the following year; provided, however, that licenses for 2010 shall be issued from June 30, 2010 through December 31, 2010 and the fee shall be $4 for each unneutered cat and $2.50 for each neutered cat in lieu of the fees provided for in § 114-22 hereinabove.
If a license tag has been misplaced or lost,
the Borough Clerk may issue a duplicate license for that particular
cat at a fee of $1.
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.
No person shall hinder, molest, or interfere
with anyone authorized or empowered to perform any duty under this
article.
License fees and other moneys collected or received
under the provisions of this article shall be forwarded to the Treasurer
of the Borough of Highland Park and shall be deposited in the General
Funds Account for uses of the Borough.
