City of Plainfield, NJ Article 10 Licensing of Cats

§ 5:10-1 Definitions.

[MC FY 1991/92-15, § I, August 23, 1991]

(a) Cat means any member of the domestic species: male, female, or altered.

(b) Cat of licensing age means any cat which has attained the age of seven months, or which possesses a set of permanent teeth.

(c) Animal for the purpose of this article means cat.

(d) Animal control authority means any person or agency designated or certified by the State of New Jersey to enforce the provisions of this article.

(e) Owner 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 to remain on or about any premises occupied by that person.

(f) Cattery means any room or group of rooms, cage, or exhibition pen, not part of a kennel, therein cats for sale, are kept or displayed.

(g) Person means any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or institution commonly recognized by law a unit.

(h) Licensing authority means the Division of Health designated charged with administering the issuance and/or revocation of permits and licenses under the provisions of this article.

(i) Neutered means rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified by a licensed veterinarian.

§ 5:10-2 Provisions relating to rabies vaccination of cats.

[MC FY 1991/92-15, § II, August 23, 1991]

(a) Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall own, keep, harbor, or maintain any cat over seven (7) months of age within the City of Plainfield, 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 paragraph (d).

(c) Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination shall be issued to the owner of each animal vaccinated on form recommended by the State.

(d) Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements of such vaccination for a specified period of time by the Plainfield Board of Health upon presentation of a certificate stating that because of an infirmity or other physical condition, or regimen of therapy, the inoculation of such cat shall be deemed inadvisable.

§ 5:10-3 Licensing regulations; fees.

[MC FY 1991/92-15, § III, August 23, 1991; amended 9-12-2022 by Ord. No. MC 2022-42]

(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 Plainfield City Clerk or other official designated by the governing body thereof to license cats in the City of Plainfield, 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. Acceptable methods of displaying license number shall include, but are not limited to, break-away or elastic collars. License tags or sleeves are not transferable.

(b) Time for applying for license. The owner of any newly acquired cat of licensing age, or of any which attains licensing age, shall make application for license tag or sleeve for such cat within ten (10) days after such acquisition or age attainment. This requirement will not apply to a non-resident keeping a cat within the City of Plainfield for no longer than ninety (90) days.

(c) Cats brought into jurisdiction. Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the City of Plainfield, any cat licensed in another State for the current year, and bearing registration tag or sleeve, and shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the City of Plainfield for a period of more than ninety (90) days, shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat. Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the City of Plainfield any unlicensed cat, and shall keep same or permit same to be kept within the City of Plainfield for a period of more than ten (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 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 (3) years by the Plainfield City Clerk or other local official designated to license cats in the City of Plainfield.

(e) License forms and tags. License forms and official tags or sleeves shall be furnished by the City of Plainfield and shall be numbered serially, and shall bear the year of issuance and the name of the City of Plainfield.

(f) Evidence of inoculation with rabies vaccine or certification of exemption: Requirement for license. The Plainfield City Clerk or other official designated by the governing body of the City of Plainfield to license cats therein shall not 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 recommendation of the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Human Services, or has been certified exempt as provided by § 5:10-2 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) A license shall be issued for either one or three years.

(h) Licenses and registration tags for cats shall be renewed for either one or three years.

(i) The pet owner must present a rabies vaccination certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian indicating that the animal’s duration of immunity extends throughout at least the first ten months of the twelve-month licensing period for one year license and the first 34 of 36 months for a three year license.

Cat License Fees	One Year License	Three Year License
Cat License (Non-Neutered)	$18.20	$54.60
Cat License (Neutered/Spayed)	$15.20	$45.60
Cat Late Fee (March 1 through April 1)	$1.00	$1.00
Cat Late Fee (After April 1)	$2.00	$2.00

(j) Loss of license. If a license tag or sleeve has been misplaced or lost, the City of Plainfield may issue a duplicate license and/or registration sleeve for that particular cat at a fee of Six Dollars and Twenty Cents ($6.20).

(k) 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.

(l) Interfering with persons performing duties under this article. No person shall hinder, molest, or interfere with anyone authorized or empowered to perform any duty under this article.

(m) 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 City of Plainfield, and shall be considered miscellaneous revenue.

§ 5:10-4 Penalty.

[MC FY 1991/92-15, § IV, August 23, 1991]

(a) Violation of Article, penalty. Except as otherwise provided in this article, any person who violates, or who fails, or refuses to comply with this article, shall be liable to a penalty of not less than Twenty Dollars ($20.00), or more than Forty Dollars ($40.00), for each offense, to be recovered by and in the name of the Plainfield Board of Health, or by and in the name of the City of Plainfield.