[Adopted 12-21-1953 by Ord. No. 86]
Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a dog
of licensing age, as defined in Chapter 151 of the Laws of 1941 of
the State of New Jersey, shall, in the month of January of each year, apply for
a license and registration tag for each such dog; any person who shall
keep or operate a kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound shall, in the
month of January of each year, apply for a license to do so; such
license and registration tags shall be issued pursuant to and in accordance
with the provisions of said statute and all dogs shall be licensed
and controlled in the manner provided for in said statute and subject
to all of the provisions thereof.
[Amended 12-1-66 by Ord. No. 6-66; 11-4-1976 by Ord. No. 11-76; 12-18-1979 by Ord. No. 11-79; 12-21-1981 by Ord. No. 11-81; 2-21-2012 by Ord. No.
BOH 1-2012]
A. The following
license fees are hereby established:
(1) The
annual license fee for the licensing of dogs shall be $15 for spayed
or neutered dogs and $20 for nonspayed or unneutered dogs. The dog
owner shall submit a certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian
stating that the dog has been spayed or neutered to receive the reduced
license fee.
(2) A late
registration penalty of $10 shall be charged from March 1 until the
last day of March, and an additional fee of $5 per month shall be
charged for each calendar month beginning with April 1 that the required
license and metal registration tag is not obtained.
(3) The
fee for a license for a potentially dangerous dog authorized pursuant
to N.J.S.A. 4:19-31 is hereby established at $100, which fee is intended
to recognize the cost to the municipality of monthly inspections pursuant
to N.J.S.A. 4:19-32 and administrative costs related to the enforcement
of this section.
The Borough Council may hereafter by resolution
establish a dog pound and may also appoint a Dog Warden, who shall
hold office for such length of time, perform such duties and receive
such compensation as the Council may hereafter by resolution from
time to time determine. Any dog taken into custody and impounded,
as provided in said statute, shall be kept in said pound, if established,
or in any private pound, or with some person or persons hereafter
by resolution designated by the Borough Council, in the manner provided
for and subject to the provisions of said statute.
Any Dog Warden appointed hereunder shall be
vested the same power and authority with which a special police officer
of the Borough of Riverdale is vested, including the power and authority
to apprehend offenders and to execute and serve process, except that
he shall exercise such power and authority only in connection with
the performance of his duties under the within chapter.
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog,
whether of licensing age or not, and whether licensed or not, shall
suffer or permit such dog to run at large anywhere within the limits
of the Borough of Riverdale. Any dog not secured by a leash, not confined
or not under control of the owner, keeper or harborer, shall be considered
to have been suffered or permitted by its owner, keeper or harborer
to run at large and the owner, keeper or harborer of such dog shall
be prima facie guilty of a violation of this section. The provisions
of this section shall not apply to any dogs running at large on the
premises of the person owning, keeping or harboring any such dog,
nor to running dogs while hunting or training for hunting.
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog,
whether of licensing age or not, or whether licensed or not, shall
suffer or permit such dog to do any injury or damage to the lawn,
shrubbery, grounds or property of another within the Borough of Riverdale.
The owner, keeper or harborer of any dog which does injury to or damages
the lawn, shrubbery, grounds or property of another within said borough
shall be prima facie guilty of a violation of this section.
[Amended 9-21-1992 by Ord. No. 4-92]
Any person found guilty of violating or failing
to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction,
be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000 for each violation or
imprisonment for a term not to exceed 90 days, or both.