[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Common Council of the
City of Gloucester City as indicated in article histories. Amendments
noted where applicable.[1]]
[Adopted 2-6-1992 by Ord.
No. 5-1992]
As used in this ordinance, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Any person or agency designated or certified by the State
of New Jersey to enforce the provisions of this ordinance.
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 Gloucester City or any designated
representative thereof charged with administering the issuance and/or
revocation of permits and licenses under the provisions of this ordinance.
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
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.
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or
institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
A.
Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall own, keep,
harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within Gloucester
City 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 of Immunization published by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, except as provided for in Subsection D.
C.
Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination shall be issued
to the owner of each animal vaccinated on a 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 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.
[Added 3-27-2008 by Ord.
No. O06-2008]
No person shall own, keep, or harbor more than a total of three
cats and/or dogs of licensing age at any single-family or duplex-family
residential unit. No person shall own, keep or harbor more than a
total of two cats and/or dogs at any multi-family residential unit.
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 City Clerk 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. The
owner has the option of having the identification number tattooed
on the animal at the owner's expense in lieu of display of a license
tag. Acceptable methods of displaying the license number shall include
but are not limited to breakaway 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 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.
C.
Cats brought into jurisdiction. Any person who shall bring or cause
to be brought into Gloucester City any cat licensed in another state
for the current year and bearing a registration tag or sleeve and
who shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within Gloucester
City for a period of more than 90 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 years
by the City Clerk.
E.
License forms and tags. License forms and official tags or sleeves
shall be furnished by Gloucester City and shall be numbered serially
and shall bear the year of issuance and the name of Gloucester City.
F.
Evidence of inoculation with rabies vaccine or certification of exemption; requirement for license. The City Clerk 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 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 § 18-2 of this chapter. The rabies inoculation shall be administered by a duly licensed veterinarian, or by such other veterinarian permitted by law to do the same.
G.
License fee schedule. The person applying for the license and registration
tag (or sleeve) or for an annual renewal thereof shall pay to the
City Clerk an annual license fee of $12 per neutered cat and $15 per
unneutered cat for each cat. Fees for senior citizens (aged 62 and
up) will remain at $7 for spayed/neutered and $10 for unspayed/unneutered
cats.
[Amended 7-1-1993 by Ord.
No. 24-1993; 4-6-1995 by Ord. No. 7-1995; 12-20-2007 by Ord. No. O25-2007]
H.
Fees; renewals; expiration date of license. 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 January 31 in the
following year. Only one license and registration tag or sleeve shall
be required in Gloucester City. 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.
Loss of license. If a registration tag or sleeve has been misplaced
or lost, the City Clerk may issue a duplicate registration/tag or
sleeve for that particular cat at fee of $1.
J.
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.
[Amended 7-1-1993 by Ord.
No. 24-1993]
A.
Any cat owner who shall permit his cat, whether licensed or not,
to run at large, shall be guilty of a violation of this ordinance.
B.
Control of cats in public places. No person owning, keeping or harboring
any unlicensed or licensed cat shall allow the same to be upon the
public streets, sidewalks or in any other public place of the city
unless said cat shall be on a leash not more than six feet in length
and in the custody and accompanied by a person of such age and such
mental and physical capacity that he or she is able to control and
restrain such cat from harming or injuring any person or property.
[Amended 3-27-2008 by Ord. No. O06-2008]
[Added 3-27-2008 by Ord.
No. O06-2008]
It shall be a violation of this ordinance for any person to
abandon any domestic animal and any violation of this section shall
be subject to a fine of not less than $500 per domestic animal.
[Added 11-12-2009 by Ord.
No. O33-2009]
Trap, neuter, release is permitted in the City of Gloucester
City by the Gloucester City Feral Cat Committee. It has been found
to be the most effective and humane way to decrease the over population
of the feral cats in Gloucester City.
A feral cat is an unsocialized cat that is unable to live indoors
and therefore the feral cat does not fall under any ownership laws
or violations for any person, and does not fall under the lease laws
of the City of Gloucester.
No person owning, keeping or harboring a cat shall permit it
to do any unprovoked injury to persons or to do any damage to any
lawn, shrubbery, flowers, grounds or property.
No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized
or empowered to perform any duty under this ordinance.
[Amended 7-1-1993 by Ord.
No. 24-1993]
License fees and other moneys collected or received under the
provisions of this ordinance, shall be forwarded to the Treasurer
of Gloucester City.
[Added 7-1-1993 by Ord.
No. 24-1993; amended. 11-5-1998 by Ord. No. 25-1998; 12-20-2007 by Ord. No. O25-2007]
Persons who fail to obtain a license as required within the
time period specified in this ordinance shall be subject to a delinquent
fee of $20.
[Amended 10-21-2002 by Ord. No. 25-2002; 6-17-2021 by Ord. No. O09-2021]
Except as otherwise provided in this ordinance, every person
convicted of a violation of the provisions of this ordinance shall,
upon conviction thereof, forfeit and pay a fine of not less than $100
and not more than $2,000 for the first offense; for repeat offenses
within a one-year period of the date of the first offense, there shall
be an additional fine imposed which shall not be less than the minimum
or exceed the maximum fine fixed for a violation of the ordinance,
which shall be calculated separately from the fine imposed for the
violation of the ordinance. For each repeat offense, the additional
fine shall double until it reaches the maximum of $2,000.
[Added 6-3-1999 by Ord.
No. 10-1999]
Any person who violates any of the following subsections: § 18-3, "Licensing requirements," § 18-4, "Running at large" or § 18-5, "Injury or damage to persons or property," may plead guilty to the violation without appearing before the Municipal Judge and, upon such pleading, shall be required to pay a municipal penalty of $30, in addition to the State of New Jersey A.T.S. Surcharge, for each offense, provided that the violation has been abated.
