[Adopted 6-10-1998 by Ord. No. 98-07]
This chapter is enacted for the public good
and general welfare.
As used in this section:
Any dog, bitch or spayed bitch, and dog of licensing age
shall mean any dog which has attained the age of seven months or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
As defined under Article IV, Animal Noise, of this chapter.
[Amended 6-24-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02]
The person or persons owning, controlling, keeping or harboring
a dog.
Any dog off and not on the premises of the owner.
An enclosure or pen out of which the dog cannot escape.
A leash or chain, which the dog cannot break or sever and
which is not over six feet in length.
Continuous barking or crying without pauses of one minute.
Any dog which has bitten a person two or more times without
provocation.
In the event the provisions of this section
and any other section is violated, the offended party shall file a
complaint, in writing, with the Animal Control Officer of the Township.
The forgoing provision shall not apply to dogs
accompanied by a hunter during hunting season, or dogs being used
for training purposes accompanied by the owner or trainer of the dog.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 62-5, Nuisance barking,
was repealed 6-4-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02.
No person owning, harboring, keeping or in charge
of any dog shall cause, suffer or allow such dog or dogs to soil,
defile or defecate on or commit any nuisance on any common thoroughfare,
sidewalk, passageway, bypath, play area, park or any place where people
congregate or walk or upon any public property whatsoever or upon
any private property without the permission of the owner of said property.
Any person owning, harboring, keeping or in
charge of any dog or dogs which soils, defiles, defecates on or commits
any nuisance shall have in their possession at all times appropriate
means, including but not limited to a shovel or other implements and
containers or disposal bags to immediately remove and dispose of all
feces and droppings by said dog or dogs on any common thoroughfare,
sidewalk, passageway, bypath, play area, park or any place where people
congregate or walk or upon any public property whatsoever or upon
any private property without the permission of the owner of said property.
The feces removed from the aforementioned designated area shall
be disposed of by the person owning, harboring, keeping or in charge
of any such dog or dogs in a sanitary manner approved by the Township
Committee or its authorized agent.
The provisions of these sections shall not apply
to blind persons who may use dogs as guides, to handicapped persons
who may use service dogs or to deaf persons who may use hearing ear
dogs.
No person owning, harboring or keeping any dog
or dogs shall suffer or permit it/them to run at large upon the public
streets or in any public park or in any public building or in any
other public place within the Township. No person owning, harboring
or keeping any dog or dogs shall suffer or permit it/them to run at
large upon the lands or premises of any person, other than the person
owning, keeping, maintaining, harboring or having charge of such dog
or dogs, without the consent of the owner or lessee of such private
lands and premises.
No person owning, harboring or keeping any dog
or dogs shall suffer or permit it/them to be upon public streets or
in any of the public places within the Township unless such dog or
dogs is/are accompanied by a person capable of controlling it/them
and is confined by a secure leash(s).
No person owning, harboring or keeping any dog
or dogs shall suffer or permit it/them to do any injury or to do any
damage to any lawn, shrubbery, flowers, grounds or property of another
person.
Nothing contained in this article shall be deemed
contradictory or at variance with N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.1 et seq. and the
provisions hereof are in addition thereto.
Dogs shall be duly licensed and shall bear evidence
of such license at all times in accordance with the laws of the State
of New Jersey.
No dog shall wear or bear a license tag other
than that issued for him/her for the current year.
[Amended 2-15-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01; 12-8-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-08; 9-11-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-19]
A.
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.3, the owners of any dog of licensing
age harbored and kept in the Township shall apply for and obtain a
license in the Township and pay an annual fee as follows:
|
Spayed neutered
|
Nonspayed nonneutered
| |
|---|---|---|
|
License fee
|
$8.80
|
$10.80
|
|
NJ registration fee
|
$1
|
$1
|
|
NJ Pilot Clinic Fund
|
$0.20
|
$0.20
|
|
NJ pet population control
|
$0
|
$3
|
|
$10
|
$15
| |
|
Senior citizen rate
|
$6
|
$11
|
B.
All licenses and registration shall expire on January 31 of each
year at midnight. All license and registration fees shall be payable
in full for the entire amount, regardless of when applied for or issued.
All fees shall be due and payable for dogs acquired after January
31 each year; the fee shall be paid from the date the dog was acquired.
A late fee of $5 per month shall be assessed on all payments for licenses
received after January 31.
In the event that the metal registration tag
is lost, such tag may be replaced upon application to the Township
Clerk at a fee of $0.25.
[Amended 2-15-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-01; 12-8-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-08]
Any dog owner or person harboring a dog found to have an unlicensed dog by the Township Animal Control Officer, dog canvasser or other municipal official after January 31 shall be required to pay an additional delinquent fee of $10 as of February 1 and, in addition, $5 for each succeeding month thereafter, plus the required license fee as provided in this article. The aforementioned fee and late fees shall not apply to dogs which have been acquired by the owner after February 1 for which the license fee shall be the same as required in § 62-16. The owner, however, must present sufficient proof to establish that the dog was acquired after February 1.
This chapter shall not apply to pounds maintained
at public expense, kennels maintained by the Society of the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals, or to veterinarians to which dogs have been
committed by public authorities.
No license to own, keep or harbor a dog in the
Township shall be issued to or in the name of minor.
The conduct of a dog shall be attributed to
the owner thereof, and the owner shall be deemed to have permitted
any dog who acts contrary to the requirements of this article to act
as and such owner shall be guilty of the violation thereof.
The Township Committee shall have power to enter
into a contract with one or more persons for the exercise of the duty
of dog catcher, Animal Control Officer or poundmaster to enforce the
provisions of this article.
A.
The contractor, poundmaster or person responsible
for such purpose may take into custody and impound or cause to be
taken into custody and impounded and thereafter destroyed or disposed
of as provided in this section:
(1)
Any dog running at large in this Township.
(2)
Any dog off the premises of the owner not confined
to a secure leash or the person keeping or harboring said dog not
capable of controlling said dog who shall be confined to a secure
leash.
(3)
Any female dog in season off the premises of the owner
or the person keeping or harboring said dog.
B.
When any dog so seized has been detained for seven
days after notice, when notice can be given, or has been detained
for seven days after the seizure, when notice cannot be given in accordance
with the laws of the State of New Jersey, and if the owner or person
keeping or harboring the dog or new owner has not claimed the dog
and paid all expenses incurred by reason of its seizure, and the owner
or the person keeping or harboring the dog or new owner has not produced
a current license and registration tag for the dog, the contractor
or poundmaster or other designated authority may cause the dog to
be destroyed in a manner causing as little pain as possible.
The Animal Control officer shall submit a quarterly
annual report to the official of the Health Department, which report
shall contain a description of each animal seized, the license number,
if any, the reason for seizure, and the disposition made of such animal.
The official representative for dog control
shall render a quarterly report to the health official which report
shall contain the following information:
A.
The number of dogs captured.
B.
The number of dogs destroyed.
C.
The number of dogs redeemed and the amounts paid for
redemption.
D.
The number of dog bite investigations.
E.
Any and all court findings, and any and all results
or findings from mediation are to be forwarded to the Animal Control
Officer within 30 days of said proceeding(s) so as to maintain a complete
and accurate file of all events.
Any dog owner or person harboring a dog or dogs
shall be required to have his/her dog or dogs inoculated to prevent
the spread of rabies.
No person shall abandon a dog in or within the
limits of the Township of Blairstown.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 62-28, Violations and penalties,
was repealed 6-4-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-02.
