[Adopted 4-9-1987 by Ord. No. MC-2289 as Ch. 210, Art. I, of the 1987 Code]
As used in this article, unless otherwise provided or unless the context indicates otherwise, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ANIMAL CARE FACILITY
An animal control center or animal shelter, maintained by, or under contract with, any New Jersey state, county, or municipal department or agency, whose mission and practice is, in whole, or significant part, the rescue and placement of animals in permanent homes or rescue organizations.
[Added 6-12-2016 by Ord. No. MC-4979]
ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATION
Any New Jersey-based not-for-profit organization which has tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code, whose mission and practice is, in whole or in significant part, the rescue and placement of animals in permanent homes.
[Added 6-12-2016 by Ord. No. MC-4979]
CAT
A member of the species of domestic cat, Felis catus.
[Added 6-12-2016 by Ord. No. MC-4979]
DOG
Any dog, bitch or spayed bitch.
DOG OF LICENSING AGE
Any dog which has attained the age of seven months or which possesses a set of permanent teeth.
DOG WARDEN
Such person duly appointed as Dog Warden or such person duly appointed to exercise the powers and functions of a Dog Warden.
KENNEL
Any establishment wherein or whereon the business of boarding or selling dogs or breeding dogs for sale is carried on, except a pet shop.
OFFER FOR SALE
To sell, offer for sale or adoption, advertise for the sale of, barter, auction, give away or otherwise dispose of a dog or cat.
[Added 6-12-2016 by Ord. No. MC-4979]
OWNER
When applied to the proprietorship of a dog, includes every person having a right of property in such dog and every person who has such dog in his keeping.
PET SHOP
A retail establishment where dogs and cats are sold, exchanged, bartered or offered for sale as pet animals to the general public at retail. Such definition shall not include an animal care facility or animal rescue organization as defined herein.[1]
[Amended 6-12-2016 by Ord. No. MC-4979]
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DOG
Any dog or dog hybrid declared potentially dangerous by the Municipal Court of the City of Camden pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:19-23.
[Added 5-23-2002 by Ord. No. MC-3751]
POUND
An establishment for the confinement of dogs seized either under the provisions of this article or otherwise.
SHELTER
Any establishment where dogs are received, housed and distributed without charge.
VICIOUS DOG
Any dog which at any time has attacked or shall attack a human being or another dog or other domestic pets, either while upon or off the premises occupied by the person owning, keeping, harboring or having the custody or possession of the attacking dog. "Vicious dog" shall also mean and include any dog which has caused any human being engaged in a lawful activity or occupancy to be fearful for his/her own safety by chasing or snapping at such person. "Vicious dog" shall also mean any dog or dog hybrid declared vicious by the Municipal Court of the City of Camden, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:19-22.
[Added 6-9-1988 by Ord. No. MC-2338; amended 5-23-2002 by Ord. No. MC-3751]
[1]
Editor's Note; The former definition of "pit bull dog," added 5-23-2002 by Ord. No. MC-3751, which immediately followed this definition, was repealed 3-10-2018 by Ord. No. MC-4894.
[Amended 8-13-1981 by Ord. No. MC-1766; 11-26-1986 by Ord. No. MC-2248; 11-26-1986 by Ord. No. MC-2249]
The Director of Police shall annually cause a canvass to be made of all dogs owned, kept or harbored within the limits of the City and shall report, on or before May 1 of each year, to the City Clerk, to the Department of Human Services of the City and to the State Department of Health the result thereof, setting forth in separate columns the names and addresses of persons owning, keeping or harboring unlicensed dogs, the number of unlicensed dogs owned, kept or harbored by each of said persons, together with a complete description of each of said unlicensed dogs.
A. 
License fees and other moneys collected or received under §§ 188-10, 188-18 and 188-24 of this article, except registration tag fees, shall be forwarded to the City Treasurer within 30 days after collection or receipt and shall be placed in a special account separate from any of the other accounts of the City, and such funds shall be used, expended or transferred only in accordance with statutes of the state governing and regulating the use, expenditure or transfer of such funds.
B. 
The registration tag fee, as indicated in § 188-10, shall be forwarded within 30 days after collection to the State Department of Health in accordance with statutes and regulations of the state.
[Amended 4-9-1987 by Ord. No. MC-2289]
[Amended 8-13-1981 by Ord. No. MC-1766]
Any person who violates or fails or refuses to comply with any of the provisions of this article or of the rules and regulations promulgated by the State Department of Health, incorporated or referred to herein, shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not less than $5 nor more than $50 for each offense, to be recovered by and in the name of the State Commissioner of Health of New Jersey or by and in the name of the Department of Human Services of the City, except that for the first offense in cases of violations of §§ 188-6 through 188-8 of this article, the penalty shall be not less than $1 nor more than $50, to be recovered in the same manner.
Except as provided in § 188-23 of this article with respect to dogs kept in licensed kennels, pet shops, shelters or pounds and except also as to dogs licensed and registered in the manner provided in § 188-9, any person who shall own, keep or harbor a dog of licensing age in the City shall, in the month of January in each year, apply for and procure from the City Clerk a license and official metal registration tag for each such dog so owned, kept or harbored and shall place upon each such dog a collar or harness with the registration tag securely fastened thereto.
A. 
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the City any dog licensed in another state for the current year and bearing a registration tag and who shall keep or permit the same to be kept within the City for a period of more than 90 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag for each such dog, except with respect to individual dogs kept in licensed kennels, pet shops, shelters or pounds as provided in § 188-23.
B. 
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the City any unlicensed dog and who shall keep or permit the same to be kept within the City for a period of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag for each such dog, except with respect to individual dogs kept in licensed kennels, pet shops, shelters or pounds as provided in § 188-23.
[Amended 4-26-1979 by Ord. No. MC-1465; 9-24-1981 by Ord. No. MC-1771; 1-24-2002 by Ord. No. MC-3720; 3-28-2002 by Ord. No. MC-3739]
A. 
The person applying for the license and registration tag or for an annual renewal thereof shall pay to the City Clerk a license fee (consistent with state statute) as follows:
(1) 
Male dogs.
If Spayed
If Not Spayed
Annual dog license and registration tag fee
$7
$7
New Jersey Clinic Fund
$0.20
$0.20
New Jersey registration fee:
$1
$3
Total:
$8.20
$11.20
(2) 
Female dogs.
If Spayed
If Not Spayed
Annual dog license and registration tag fee
$7
$7
New Jersey Clinic Fund
$0.20
$0.20
New Jersey registration fee:
$1
$3
Total:
$8.20
$11.20
B. 
However, if the Municipal Judge of the City of Camden has declared a dog to be potentially dangerous pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:19-17 et seq., the owner of said dog shall pay for a potentially dangerous dog license or for an annual renewal thereof a license fee which shall be in the amount of $150, together with the further sum of $1 for the registration tag.
[Added 5-23-2002 by Ord. No. MC-3751]
C. 
Said licenses, registration tags and renewals thereof shall expire on the last day of January in each year.
[Added 5-23-2002 by Ord. No. MC-3751]
A. 
No owner of any vicious or potentially dangerous dog shall be allowed to register said animal unless such owner produces proof that he has obtained liability insurance in the amount of at least $1,000,000 covering any damage or injury which may be caused by such dog during the twelve-month period for which registration is sought.
B. 
The owner of a vicious or potentially dangerous dog shall maintain liability insurance in full force and effect at all times as required by Subsection A of this section, unless he shall cease to own, keep or harbor the dog prior to the expiration of such registration.
Dogs used as guides for blind persons and commonly known as "Seeing Eye" dogs shall be licensed and registered as provided in this article; provided, however, that the owner or keeper of such dog shall not be required to pay any fee therefor.
The application for a license and registration under §§ 188-6 through 188-19 shall state the breed, sex, age, color and markings of the dog for which the license and registration are sought and whether it is of a long-haired or short-haired variety, also the name, street and post office address of the owner and the person who shall keep or harbor such dog.
License forms and uniform official registration tags designed by the State Department of Health shall be furnished by the City, shall be numbered serially and shall bear the year of issuance and the name of the City. Registration numbers shall be issued in the order of the applications.
No person, except an officer in the performance of his duties, shall remove a registration tag from the collar of any dog without the consent of the owner, nor shall any person attach a registration tag to a dog for which it was not issued.
The information on each application under §§ 188-6 through 188-19 and the registration number issued for the dog shall be preserved for a period of three years by the City Clerk. In addition, he shall forward to the State Department of Health each month, on forms furnished by said Department, an accurate account of registration numbers issued or otherwise disposed of.
No person owning or having the control, custody or possession of a dog shall permit or suffer such dog to run at large or to go or be upon the public streets, sidewalks or other public places within the City unless said dog shall be on a leash and in the custody of some person or persons capable of controlling such dog.
A. 
The Dog Warden shall take into custody and impound or cause to be taken and impounded and thereafter destroyed or disposed of in accordance with statutes of the state, the following:
(1) 
Any dog off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or harboring said dog which the Dog Warden or his agent has reason to believe is a stray dog; provided, however, that any dog handled on a leash shall not be considered a stray dog.
(2) 
Any dog off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or harboring said dog without a current registration tag on his collar.
(3) 
Any female dog in season off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or harboring said dog.
B. 
If any dog 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 when the owner or person keeping or harboring said dog is known, the Dog Warden shall forthwith serve on the person whose address is given on the collar or on the owner or the person keeping or harboring said dog, if known, a notice, in writing, stating that the dog has been seized and will be liable to be disposed of or destroyed if not claimed within seven days after service of the notice. 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 that address given on the collar or by forwarding it by mail in a prepaid letter addressed to that person at his usual or last known place of abode or to the address set forth on the application for the license.
C. 
When any dog so seized has been detained for seven days after notice when notice can be given as above set forth or has been detained seven days after seizure when no notice has been given, and if the owner or person keeping or harboring said dog has not claimed said dog and paid all expenses incurred by reason of its detention, including maintenance not exceeding $1 per day and a fee of $1 to the Dog Warden for expense of seizure, and further, if the dog is unlicensed at the time of the seizure and the owner or person keeping or harboring said dog has not produced a license and registration tag for said dog, the Dog Warden may cause the dog to be destroyed in a manner causing as little pain as possible in accordance with the laws of the state.
The Dog Warden is authorized to go upon any premises to seize for impounding any dog or dogs which he may lawfully seize and impound when he is in immediate pursuit of such dog or dogs, in accordance with laws of the state, except upon the premises of the owner of the dog if such owner is present and forbids the same.
[Amended 8-13-1981 by Ord. No. MC-1766]
The application for a license under §§ 188-20 through 188-29 shall describe the premises where the establishment is located or is proposed to be located and the purpose or purposes for which it is to be maintained. The application shall be accompanied by the written approval of the Director of the Department of Human Services of the City or the Health Officer of the City, showing compliance with the local and state rules and regulations governing location of and sanitation at such establishments.
[Amended 8-13-1981 by Ord. No. MC-1766]
Licenses issued under §§ 188-20 through 188-29 shall be subject to revocation by the City, on recommendation of the State Department of Health or the City Department of Human Services, for failure to comply with the rules and regulations of the State Department of Health or of the City Department of Human Services, after the owner has been afforded a hearing by either the State Department of Health or the City Department of Human Services in accordance with the statutes providing for such hearings.
The City Clerk shall forward to the State Department of Health a list of all kennels, pet shops, shelters and pounds licensed within 30 days after the licenses therefor are issued. Such list shall include the name and address of the licensee and the kind of license issued.
[Amended 7-12-2016 by Ord. No. MC-4979]
A. 
A pet shop may offer for sale only those dogs and cats that the pet shop has obtained from or displays in cooperation with:
(1) 
An animal care facility; or
(2) 
An animal rescue organization.
B. 
A pet shop shall not offer for sale a dog or cat that is younger than eight weeks old.