As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
ANIMAL CONTROL AUTHORITY
Any person or agency designated or certified by the Township
of Nutley to enforce the provisions of this article.
CAT
Any member of the feline species, male, female or altered.
CAT OF LICENSING AGE
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
CATTERY
Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen, not part
of a kennel, wherein cats for sale are kept or displayed.
LICENSING AUTHORITY
The agency or department of the Township of Nutley or any
designated representative thereof charged with administering the issuance
and/or revocation of permits and licenses under the provisions of
this article.
NEUTERED
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
OWNER
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 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.
No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain
any cat over seven months of age within the Township of Nutley unless
such cat is vaccinated and licensed. The provisions of this section
do not apply to cats held in a cattery or those held by a state or
federally 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.
[Amended 12-20-2011 by Ord. No. 3187]
A. The fee
for a license issued in a calendar year shall be $15 for each neutered
cat and $18 for each unneutered 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 $10.
B. Fees for
senior citizens age 65 and over shall be $12 for each neutered cat
and $15 for each unneutered 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 $10.
[Added 5-4-2021 by Ord.
No. 3471]
No person shall own, keep or harbor in excess of five dogs or
cats combined, of licensing age at any time.
[Added 5-4-2021 by Ord.
No. 3471]
A. The Chief of Police or his designee of the Township of Nutley, in
the absence of any person hired by the Board of Commissioners of the
Township of Nutley for the purpose, and if and when such person is
hired by the Board of Commissioners of the Township of Nutley, then
the person so hired for the purpose, or if the position of Animal
Control Officer is created, then the person appointed to that position,
shall take into custody and impound or cause to be taken into custody
and impound and thereafter destroyed or disposed of as provided in
this section:
(1)
Any cat in excess of that allowed to be harbored or owned under §
217-34.1.
(2)
Any cat off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping
or harboring said cat, which said official or his agent or agents
have reason to believe is a stray cat.
(3)
Any cat off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping
or harboring said cat without a current registration tag on his collar
or harness.
B. If any cat 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 the owner or the person keeping or harboring said cat is known,
the Chief of Police, or his designee of the Township of Nutley or
such person hired by the Board of Commissioners for the purpose, or
Animal Control Officer if appointed, shall forthwith serve on the
person whose address is given on the collar, or on the owner or the
person keeping or harboring said cat, if known, a notice in writing
stating that the cat has been seized and will be liable to be disposed
of 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 to be 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 cat so seized has been detained for seven days after notice,
when notice can be given as above set forth, or has been detained
for seven days after seizure, when no notice has been given as above
set forth, and the owner or person keeping or harboring said cat has
not claimed said cat and paid all expenses incurred by reason of its
detention, including maintenance not exceeding $50 per day, and if
the cat be unlicensed at the time of the seizure and the owner or
person keeping or harboring said cat has not produced a license and
registration tag for said cat, the aforesaid Chief of Police of the
Township of Nutley, or such person hired by the Board of Commissioners
of the Township of Nutley, or Animal Control Officer if appointed,
may cause the cat to be destroyed in a manner causing as little pain
as possible.
[Added 5-4-2021 by Ord.
No. 3471]
Any officer, member of the Public Affairs department or agent
authorized or empowered to perform any duty under this article is
hereby authorized to go upon any premises to seize for impounding
any cat or cats which he may lawfully seized and impounded.
[Added 5-4-2021 by Ord.
No. 3471]
No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized
or empowered to perform any duty under this article, including but
not limited to the police department, the employees of the Public
Affairs department or the Township Zoning department.
[Added 5-4-2021 by Ord.
No. 3471]
No cat or other animal taken into custody and detained or impounded
shall be sold or otherwise made available for the purpose of experimentation.
[Amended 5-4-2021 by Ord. No. 3471]
Any person who violates or who fails or refuses to comply with
any provisions of this article or the rules and regulations promulgated
by the State Department of Health shall be liable to a penalty of
not more than $500 per day for each dog or cat over the limit, or
imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days, or both.
[Added 5-4-2021 by Ord.
No. 3471]
The provisions of this article shall be enforced by the local
Police Department and the Department of Health.
License fees and other money collected or received under the
provisions of this article shall be forwarded to the Treasurer of
the municipality and shall be placed in a special account separate
from any other accounts of the municipality and shall be used to administer
the provisions of this article.