[Adopted as Title 6, Ch. 6.08, of the 1998 Township Code]
[Added by Ord. No. 1-97]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Any member of the feline (Felis catus) species, regardless
of age or sex, and includes those altered.
Any member of the canine (Canis familiaris) species, regardless
of age or sex, and includes those altered.
All household pets, including, but not limited to, cats and
dogs as defined in this section.
A family unit, corporation, partnership or other association.
A dwelling unit used for residential purposes, including,
but not limited to, detached house, attached, semidetached, townhouse,
or cooperative condominium.
Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a dog of licensing
age shall, in the month of January of each year, apply for and procure
from the Township Clerk a license and official metal registration
tag for each such dog and shall place on each such dog a collar or
harness with said registration tag securely fastened thereto.
[Amended 12-4-2007 by Ord. No. 9-2007]
A.
Persons applying for a license and registration tag shall pay a license fee as established in Chapter 240 and $1 for the registration and $0.20 for the pilot clinic fee payable by the municipality to the state of New Jersey for each dog, effective January 1, 1985 and thereafter. In addition, there will be a $3 charge for each unneutered dog payable by the municipality to the state of New Jersey. Said licenses, registration tags and renewals thereof shall expire the last day of January of each year. Persons applying for the renewal of a license and registration tag after the last day of January of each year shall pay an additional sum as established in Chapter 240 to defray the administrative costs incurred by the Township as a result of a late renewal. Three-year dog licensing and renewals will cost three times the one-year license fee. A rabies certificate valid through November 30 of the third of licensing is required. This is in accordance with N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.2.
[Amended 2-7-2012 by Ord.
No. 2012-1; 12-15-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-06]
B.
Dogs used as guide dogs or service dogs (as defined in N.J.S.A. 10:5-5)
shall be licensed and registered as other dogs as hereinabove provided
for, except that the owner or keeper of such dog shall not be required
to pay any fee therefor. A dog temporarily placed in a foster home
as part of a formalized training to be a guide dog or service dog
shall not be required to be licensed and registered while the dog
remains in the foster home for such training.
[Amended 8-18-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-4]
The owner of any newly acquired dog of licensing age or any
dog which attains licensing age shall make applications for and procure
a license and registration tag for such dog within 10 days after the
acquisition or age attainment. A dog of licensing age shall be any
dog which has attained the age of seven months or which possesses
a set of permanent teeth, whichever is sooner. There shall be no adjustment
of the license or registration fee for licenses or registration tags
issued and valid for a fractional portion of the license year.
Any person who shall bring a dog into this Township from another
state shall apply for a license and registration tag for said dog
within 90 days after it is brought into this Township if it is registered
in such other state, and within 10 days if it is not registered in
such other state.[1]
Every person owning, keeping or harboring any dog in this Township
shall:
A.
Prevent such dog from running at large upon any public street or
other public place at any time;
B.
Prevent such dog from being on any public street or other public
place at any time unless such dog is accompanied by a person over
the age of 12 years and is securely confined and controlled by an
adequate leash not more than six feet in length;
C.
Prevent such dog from running at large upon the lands of any person,
other than the person owning, keeping or harboring such dog, without
the consent of the owner of such lands;
D.
Prevent such dog from injuring or damaging any vegetable garden,
flower garden, lawn, plant, tree, shrubbery, grounds of other property
of any person other than the person owning, keeping or harboring such
dog;
E.
Prevent such dog from worrying, wounding or killing any other dog
or other domestic animal;
F.
Prevent such dog from becoming a public nuisance;
[Added by Ord. No. 1-97]
A cat shall be considered a public nuisance if it has no known
owner or if it has no known place of care or shelter or if it habitually
trespasses upon or damages either private or public property or annoys
or harms lawful users or occupants thereof.
[Added by Ord. No. 1-97]
All premises on which domestic animals are kept must be maintained
in a sanitary condition. A public health nuisance shall be deemed
to exist in the following unsanitary situations:
[Amended by Ord. No. 1-97]
A.
Not more than six dogs or six cats shall be allowed in any residence.
Any residence may contain only a total of six dogs or cats altogether,
except that a litter or portion thereof may be kept for a period of
five months without a permit issued by the Board of Health annually
in conjunction with the issuance of dog licenses. No cost shall be
charged for the permit. The issuance of the permit shall be subject
to the following:
(1)
The residential premises shall have a fenced yard or penned area
sufficient in size in relation to the amount of dogs being kept.
(2)
The residential premises and yard area shall be kept in a sanitary
manner.
(3)
The residential premises shall be inspected by the Burlington County
Health Department.
B.
Any violation of Subsection A of this section will result in revocation of the aforesaid permit. Notice of the Township's intention to revoke a permit must be given to the alleged violator, who must be given an opportunity to be heard before the Board of Health.
C.
Those persons (as defined in § 139-13) who, at the time the ordinance codified in this section becomes effective, have in their possession dogs or cats exceeding the number permitted in the Township shall be exempt from the requirements of this article for the lifetime of those animals; however, upon the deaths of those animals, those persons shall be subject to the requirements of this article with respect to any replacement animals.
D.
The provisions of this article shall not apply to licensed premises
where cats and/or dogs are kept for breeding, sale and/or boarding.
[Amended by Ord. No. 1-97]
A.
The Chief of Police or the Animal Control Officer appointed by the
Township Committee shall take into custody and impound or cause to
be taken into custody and impounded and thereafter destroyed or disposed
of as provided in this article:
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. III)]
(1)
Any dog on the premises of the person owning, keeping or harboring
said dog without a current registration tag on its collar or harness;
(2)
Any dog off the premises of the person owning, keeping or harboring
said dog without a current registration tag on its collar or harness;
(3)
Any female dog in season off the premises of the person owning, keeping
or harboring said dog;
(4)
Any dog, whether licensed or not, that shall be found running at large upon any public street or other public place at any time or that shall be found at any time doing any of the other things prohibited in § 139-18 of this article and which the person owning, keeping or harboring said dog is required by this article to prevent.
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 the owner or the person keeping or harboring said dog is known,
the Chief of Police or Township Administrator, or any person authorized
by him in that behalf, shall forthwith serve on the person whose address
is given on the collar or harness or on the owner or 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 the service of the notice.
C.
A notice under this section may be served:
(1)
By delivering it to the person on whom it is to be served;
(2)
By leaving it at such person's usual or last-known place of abode
or at the address shown on the collar or harness; or
(3)
By forwarding it by mail in a prepaid letter addressed to such person
at his usual or last-known place of abode or to the address shown
on the collar or harness.
D.
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
for seven days or seizure when no notice has been given as above set
forth, 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 costs as set by resolution or contract
by the Township Committee, and if said dog be unlicensed at the time
of seizure and the owner or person keeping or harboring said dog has
not produced a license and registration tag for said dog, the Chief
of Police, Township Administrator or the Animal Control Officer may
cause said dog to be destroyed in a manner causing as little pain
as possible.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. III)]
[Amended by Ord. No. 1-97]
A.
The Township does incorporate N.J.S.A. 4:19-17 et seq. as applicable
in this section of the Code of the Township.
B.
The owner of a dog which is declared vicious or potentially dangerous
shall be responsible for all actual costs and expenses in impounding
and destroying the dog, convening the panel, notices and such other
administrative functions as may be required to be provided by the
Township.
C.
The license fee for a potentially dangerous dog shall be the sum as established in Chapter 240, Fees.
[Amended 2-7-2012 by Ord.
No. 2012-1]
D.
Said license shall provide for the issuance of a dog registration
number and a red identification tag. The last three digits of the
registration number shall be the three-number code assigned to the
Township pursuant to the regulations promulgated pursuant to N.J.S.A.
4:19-17 et seq.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. III)]
When a dog has attacked, bitten and injured a human being, the
Chief of Police or Animal Control Officer shall impound the dog for
a period of 10 days or may order the owner of the dog to quarantine
the dog on the owner's premises or in a veterinary clinic for 10 days.
At the end of the aforesaid ten-day period, any dog under impoundment
or quarantine shall be examined by a licensed veterinarian who shall
ascertain that the dog is free of rabies and shall issue a certificate
to that effect, which certificate must be presented to the local Board
of Health or Animal Control Officer before the dog can be released
from impoundment or quarantine. A copy of the said certificate shall
be provided by the local Board of Health to each person bitten or
otherwise injured by the dog. The owner shall be responsible for reimbursement
of any costs borne by the Township with respect to the dog's impoundment,
quarantine and examination by a veterinarian (including the issuance
of a certificate, as aforesaid). A dog which is found to be rabid
or who is not reclaimed at the end of the period of impoundment or
quarantine may be disposed of humanely by order of the Chief of Police
or the Animal Control Officer.
Any officer or agent authorized or empowered to perform any
duty under this article is hereby authorized to go upon any premises
to seize for impounding any dog which he may lawfully seize and impound
when such officer is in immediate pursuit of such dog or dogs, except
upon the premises of the owner of the dog if said owner is present
and forbids the same.
No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone performing
any duty which he is authorized or empowered to perform under this
article.
Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a dog shall provide
it with proper and adequate food and water, proper shelter and protection
from the weather and with humane care and treatment. No person shall
inhumanely beat, ill-treat, torment or otherwise abuse a dog.
It is declared to be policy of the Township to:
A.
Provide a central agency for the rapid reuniting of lost dogs and
their owners;
B.
Provide facilities for the quick removal of unwanted dogs from the
community;
C.
Enable as many unclaimed dogs as possible to be placed in new homes
and provide for the humane destruction of unwanted dogs;
D.
Provide clean, comfortable shelter and adequate food and water for
the animals impounded;
E.
Protect the rights of dog owners;
F.
Provide protection of the rights of citizens of the community against
careless or thoughtless dog owners.
[Amended by Ord. No. 1-97; at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art.
III)]
