[Adopted 2-27-1990 by Ord. No. 6-90 (Ch. 106, Art. IV, of
the 1990 Code)]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Dog or cat.[1]
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 agency or department of the Township or any designated
representative thereof charged with administering the issuance and/or
revocation of permits and licenses under the provisions of this article.
[Amended 9-25-1990 by Ord. No. 40-90]
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
Any person who shall possess, maintain, house, harbor, or
feed any pet or stray animal, or otherwise have custody of any pet
or animal, whether or not the licensed owner of such pet or animal.
[Amended 8-4-2020 by Ord. No. 15-2020]
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or
institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
[1]
Editor's Note: The former definition of "Animal Control Authority,"
which immediately followed this definition, was repealed 7-24-2018
by Ord. No. 21-2018.
A.Â
Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall own, keep,
harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within the Township
of Mount Olive 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.
B.Â
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.
C.Â
Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination shall be issued
to the owner of each animal vaccinated, on a form recommended by the
state.
D.Â
Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements of such
vaccination for a specified period of time by the Local Board of Health
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.Â
Cats must have license number displayed. Any person who shall own,
keep or harbor a cat of licensing age shall initially apply for a
license during the month of April and shall thereafter, during the
month of April, annually apply for and procure from the Clerk of the
municipality 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 tag with license number, or a registration
sleeve for each cat so owned, kept or harbored and shall place upon
such cat a collar or other device with the license number securely
fastened or displayed thereto. Acceptable methods of displaying license
number shall include but are not limited to breakaway or elastic collars.
License tags or sleeves are not transferable. A cat that has a registered
and active microchip is exempt from wearing a collar with a license
tag on it. The microchip number shall be supplied by the owner at
the time of applying for the license.
[Amended 3-2-2010 by Ord. No. 7-2010]
B.Â
Time for applying for license. The owner of any newly acquired cat
of licensing age or of 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. This requirement will not
apply to a nonresident keeping a cat within the Township of Mount
Olive for no longer than 90 days.
C.Â
Cats brought into the Township of Mount Olive.
(1)Â
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Township
of Mount Olive 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 Township of Mount Olive for
a period of more than 90 days shall immediately apply for a license
and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat.
(2)Â
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into this Township
of Mount Olive any unlicensed cat and shall keep the same or permit
the same to be kept within the Township of Mount Olive for a period
of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration
tag or sleeve for each such cat.
D.Â
Application; contents; preservation of information. The application
shall state the breed, sex, age, color and markings of the cat for
which the license and registration are sought and whether it is of
a long- or shorthaired 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 Clerk or other local official designated to license cats in
the municipality.
E.Â
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.Â
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 Agriculture and the United States Department of Human Services or has been certified exempt as provided by § 169-35 of this article. The rabies inoculation shall be administered by a duly licensed veterinarian or by such other veterinarian permitted by law to do the same.
G.Â
License fee schedule. A license shall be issued after payment of
a fee of $16 for an unneutered cat and $13 for a neutered cat. 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 $3 per month.
[Amended 2-9-1993 by Ord. No. 3-93; 3-2-2010 by Ord. No. 7-2010; 12-6-2016 by Ord. No. 30-2016]
H.Â
Fees; renewals; expiration date of license.
(1)Â
A 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 a 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 on April 30 in the following year.
(2)Â
Only one license and registration tag or sleeve shall be required
in the licensing year for any cat in this Township of Mount Olive.
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.Â
Loss of license. If a license tag or sleeve has been misplaced or
lost, the Township Clerk may issue a duplicate license and/or registration
sleeve for that particular cat without any charge.
J.Â
Proof of licensing. Proof of licensing shall be produced by any person
owning, keeping, maintaining or harboring a cat upon the request of
any health official, police officer, animal control officer or other
authorized person.
K.Â
Interfering with persons performing duties under this article. No
persons shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized or
empowered to perform any duty under this article.
L.Â
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 of the other accounts of the municipality,
and shall be used for the following purposes only: collecting, keeping
and disposing of cats liable to seizure, local prevention and control
of rabies, providing antirabies treatment under the direction of the
local Board of Health for any person known or suspected to have been
exposed to rabies, and 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 may
be used for any of the purposes set forth in this article. At the
end of said 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 in such account
which is in excess of the total amount paid into the special account
during the last two fiscal years next preceding.
Any person violating the provisions of this article shall, upon
conviction thereof, be punished by a fine not exceeding $25 for the
first offense, a fine not exceeding $50 for the second offense and
a fine not exceeding $100 for the third and each subsequent offense,
within any eighteen-month period.
[Added 1-24-1995 by Ord. No. 1-95; amended 8-4-2020 by Ord. No. 15-2020]
The Animal Control Officer (ACO) of the Township of Mount Olive
may periodically, at the discretion and direction of the Township,
conduct a census of all cats owned, kept or harbored within the limits
of the Township of Mount Olive.