[Adopted 2-24-1992 by Ord. No. 192-16]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
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 terms "keep" or "harbor" shall mean the habitually permitting
to remain or to be lodged or to be fed within the house, store, yard,
enclosure or other place.
The agency or department of the Borough of Lodi 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 which can intermingle with
wild animals 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.
Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall own, keep,
harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within the Borough
of Lodi 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 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.
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 herein.
C.
Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination shall be issued
to the owner of each animal vaccinated on a form recommended by the
state.
D.
Exemption. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements of such
vaccination for a specified period of time by the Borough of Lodi
Health Officer 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.
A.
Cats must have license number displayed. Any person who shall own,
keep or harbor a cat of licensing age shall annually apply for and
procure from the Borough Clerk or other official designated by the
governing body thereof to license cats in the municipality in which
he/she resides a license and official registration tab with license
number or a registration sleeve for each cat owned, kept or harbored,
and shall place upon such cat a collar or other device with the license
number securely fastened or displayed thereon. Acceptable methods
of displaying license number shall include, but are not limited to,
breakaway or elastic collars or ear-marking tag. License tags or sleeves
are not transferable.
B.
Time for applying for license. The owner of any newly acquired cat
of licensing age or any cat which attains licensing age shall make
application for a license tag or sleeve for such cat within 10 days
after such acquisition or age attainment. The requirement will not
apply to a nonresident keeping a cat within the Borough of Lodi for
no longer than 90 days. The license year shall commence on January
1 and end on the following December 31.
C.
Cats brought into jurisdiction.
(1)
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Borough
of Lodi any cat licensed in another state for the current year, and
bearing a registration tag or sleeve, and shall keep the same or permit
the same to be kept within the Borough of Lodi for a period of more
than 90 days, shall immediately apply for a license and registration
tag or sleeve for each such cat.
(2)
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Borough
of Lodi any unlicensed cat, and shall keep same or permit same to
be kept within the Borough of Lodi for a period of more than 10 days,
shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag or sleeve
for each such cat.
D.
Application, contents, preservation of information. The application
shall state the breed, sex, age, color and markings of the cat for
which a license and registration are sought, and whether it is of
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 Borough Clerk or other local official designated to license
cats in this municipality.
E.
License forms and tags. License forms and official tags or sleeves
shall be furnished by the municipality and shall be numbered serially
and shall bear the year of issuance and the name of the municipality.
F.
Evidence of inoculation with rabies vaccine or certification of exemption; requirement for license. No municipal clerk or other official designated by the governing body of any municipality to license cats therein shall grant any such license and official registration tag or sleeve 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 Health and Human Services, or has been certified exempt as provided by § 146-9 of this article. The rabies inoculations shall be administered by a duly licensed veterinarian or by such other veterinarian permitted by law to do the same.
G.
License fee schedule. A license shall be issued after payment of a fee for each unneutered cat or a fee for each neutered cat; fee amounts are included in Chapter 235, Fees, Article IV, Fee Schedule. Persons who fail to obtain a license as required within the time period specified in this section will be subject to a delinquent fee of $10.[1]
H.
Fees, renewals, expiration date of license.
(1)
License
from another municipality shall be accepted. The person applying for
the license and registration tag and/or sleeve shall pay the fee fixed
or authorized. The fee for the renewal of license and registration
tag or sleeve shall be the same as for the original, and said license,
registration tag or sleeve and renewal thereof shall expire at the
end of the year.
(2)
Only
one license and registration tag or sleeve shall be required in the
licensing year for any cat in the Borough of Lodi. Any valid New Jersey
license tag or sleeve issued by a New Jersey municipality shall be
accepted by this municipality as evidence of compliance.
I.
J.
Proof of licensing. Proof of licensing shall be produced by any person
owning, keeping, maintaining or harboring a cat upon the requirement
of any health official, police officer, animal control officer, or
other authorized person.
K.
Interfering with person performing duties under this article. No
person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized or
empowered to perform any duty under this article.
L.
Disposition of fees collected. License fees and other moneys 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 for the following purposes only: collecting, keeping and disposing
of cats liable to seizure, for local prevention and control of rabies,
providing anti-rabies treatment under the direction of the local board
of health for any person known or suspected to have been exposed to
rabies, and for 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 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 which is in excess of the total amount paid into the special
account during the last two fiscal years next preceding.
M.
Sick or diseased cats. Any cat that bites or scratches another animal
or human shall be required by the health officer, animal control officer
or designated agent to be quarantined for a period of 10 days. Owners
shall be required to have such animal analyzed by an approved veterinarian
at the end of the ten-day period. Any cost incurred in quarantining
such animal or veterinary service examination shall be paid for by
the owner or harborer of such cat or cats.
N.
Restriction on the number of cats. Not more than three cats shall
be kept, maintained or harbored at any one time in any business establishment
or residential housing unit or on its grounds. This restriction shall
not apply to properly licensed pet shops, kennels, shelters and pounds.
The Police Department of the Borough of Lodi shall annually
cause a canvass of all cats owned, kept or harbored within the limits
of the Borough and shall report on or before May of each year to the
Borough Clerk or other official designated and the Health Officer
(if required by law) the result thereof, setting forth the names and
addresses of persons owning, keeping or harboring such cats, the number
of licensed cats owned, kept or harbored by each of said persons,
together with the license numbers of each of said cats, and also setting
forth the names and addresses of persons owning, keeping or harboring
unlicensed cats, the number of unlicensed cats owned, kept or harbored
by each said person, together with a complete description for each
unlicensed cat or cats.
Except as otherwise provided in this article, any person who
violates or who fails or refuses to comply with this article shall,
upon conviction thereof, be liable to a fine not exceeding $2,000,
imprisonment for a period not exceeding 90 days and/or a period of
community service not exceeding 90 days, to be recovered by and in
the name of the Health Officer or by and in the name of the municipality.
Each day a particular violation continues shall constitute a separate
offense.
