For the purpose of this chapter, animal shall mean dog or
cat.
Shall mean any person or agency designated or certified by
the State of New Jersey or the licensing authority to enforce the
provisions of this chapter.
Shall include the Health Officer, Registered Environmental
Health Specialist and Animal Control Officer of the Warren Township
Board of Health.
[Amended 1-8-2020 by Ord. No. BH2020-2]
Shall mean any member of the domestic feline species; male,
female, or altered.
Shall mean any cat which has attained the age of seven months,
or which possesses a set of permanent teeth.
Shall mean any room or group of rooms, cage, or exhibition
pen, not part of a kennel, wherein cats for sale are kept or displayed.
Shall mean the Warren Township Board of Health or any designated
representative charged with administering this chapter and/or issuing
or revoking licenses under the provisions of this chapter.
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. The owner of the cat shall be considered
the initial owner of its kittens. A person who continually feeds a
stray animal shall be considered the owner.
Shall mean any individual, corporation, partnership, organization,
or institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
a.
Vaccination and licensing requirements. No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within Warren Township unless the cat is vaccinated and licensed. (Exclusions from the requirement for licensing are set forth in section BH13-2, paragraph d of this chapter. Exemptions from the requirement for vaccination are set forth in section BH13-2, paragraph e, of this chapter.)
b.
Vaccination. All cats seven months of age or older 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. Newly acquired cats of licensing age must be vaccinated within 10 days of acquisition and before a permit or license will be issued. (Exemptions from the requirement for vaccination are set forth in section BH13-2, paragraph e, of this chapter.)
c.
Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination shall be issued
to the owner of each animal vaccinated, on a form recommended by the
state and consistent with Warren Township requirements.
d.
Exclusions. The foregoing licensing requirements do not apply to
a cattery or cats held by a state or federal licensed research facility
or a veterinarian establishment where cats are received or kept for
diagnostic, medical, surgical, or other treatments, or licensed animal
shelters, pounds, kennels or pet shops.
e.
Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements of vaccination
for a specified period of time by the Warren Township Board of Health
or its authorized agent upon presentation of a veterinarian's certificate
stating that because of an infirmity or other physical condition,
regimen or therapy, the inoculation for the cat is deemed inadvisable.
a.
Owners must obtain license number. Any person who owns, keeps or
harbors a cat of licensing age, must annually apply for and procure
from the licensing authority a license and official registration tag
with license number, for each cat so owned, kept, or harbored. The
owner shall prove licensure of any such cat by producing the registration
tag upon the request of the licensing authority, its authorized representatives
or a police officer. Licenses are not transferable.
b.
Time to apply for license. Cat licenses shall be acquired between January 1st and January 31st of each year. The owner of any newly acquired cat of licensing age, or of any cat which attains licensing age, must purchase a license within 10 days of such acquisition or age attainment, except as set forth in section BH13-2, paragraph d, "Exclusions," of this chapter. This requirement will not apply to a nonresident keeping a cat in Warren Township for less than 90 days.
[Amended 1-8-2020 by Ord. No. BH2020-2]
c.
Cats brought into jurisdiction. Any person who brings or causes to
be brought into this township, any cat of licensing age for Warren
Township, licensed in another state for the current year and bearing
a registration tag, and keeps the same or permits the same to be kept
within the township for a period of more than 90 days, shall immediately
apply for a license and registration tag for such cat.
Any person who brings or causes to be brought into this township
any unlicensed cat of licensing age, and keeps the same or permits
the same to be kept within the township for period of more than 10
days, shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag for
each such cat.
Any valid New Jersey license tag or sleeve issued by a New Jersey
municipality shall be accepted by this municipality as evidence of
compliance.
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, state, 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 licensing authority.
e.
License forms and tags. License forms and official tags shall be
furnished by the licensing authority and shall be numbered serially,
and shall bear the year of issuance and the name of the municipality.
f.
Evidence of inoculation with rabies vaccine or certification of exemption; Requirement for license. The board of health clerk or other person designated by the licensing authority to license cats shall not grant a license for any cat, unless the owner provides a written proof that the cat to be licensed 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 Human Services, or has been certified exempt as provided by section BH13-2, paragraph e, of this chapter. The rabies inoculation shall be administered by a duly licensed veterinarian and shall be valid for the entirety of the licensing year per state guidelines.
[Amended 1-8-2020 by Ord. No. BH2020-2]
g.
(Reserved)
h.
Fees, renewals, expiration date of license. The person applying for
the license and registration tag shall pay the fee fixed or authorized.
The fee for the renewal of license and registration tag shall be the
same as for the original, and the license and registration tag or
renewal thereof shall expire on January 1st, in the following year.
[Amended 1-8-2020 by Ord. No. BH2020-2]
i.
Loss of license. If a license tag has been misplaced or lost, the
Clerk of the Warren Township Board of Health or other person designated
by the licensing authority may issue a duplicate license tag for that
particular cat at a fee fixed or authorized.
[Amended 1-8-2020 by Ord. No. BH2020-2]
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 authorized agent or police officer.
k.
Interfering with persons performing duties under this chapter. No
person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized or
empowered to perform any duty under this chapter.
l.
Disposition of fees collected. License fees and other moneys collected
or received under the provisions of this chapter, shall be forwarded
to the Warren Township Treasurer under the provisions of this chapter
and shall be placed in a trust 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 anti-rabies treatment
under the direction of the board of health for any person known or
suspected to have been exposed to rabies, for administering the provisions
of this chapter and for any other purposes now authorized or hereafter
to be authorized by law or regulation for such fund.
a.
An authorized agent or the police, may take the following cats into
custody and impound and later destroy them, release them to the owner
or offer them for adoption as provided within this section:
b.
If any cat is taken into custody whose owner is known or is wearing
a registration tag, as a first step, an authorized agent will attempt
to contact the owner who shall claim the animal. If the cat is not
claimed by the owner or contact cannot be made with the owner within
24 hours of seizure, a notice in writing will be sent to the owner
stating that the cat has been seized and will be liable to be offered
for adoption or destroyed if not claimed within seven days after the
service of the notice.
c.
A notice under section BH13-4, paragraph b, of this chapter may be served either by delivering it to the person to whom it is to be served, or by leaving it at the person's usual or last known place of abode, or at the address given when the cat was registered, or by forwarding it by post in a prepaid letter addressed to that person at his usual or last known place of abode.
d.
Any person authorized by the Warren Township Board of Health may
cause an animal to be offered for adoption or destroyed in a manner
causing as little pain as possible and consistent with the provisions
of R.S. 4:22-19, seven days after seizure, provided that:
1.
The cat was not wearing a valid registration tag at the time of seizure
and the owner is unknown, or
2.
A notice was issued as required by section BH13-4, paragraph b, of this chapter and the cat was not claimed, or
3.
The owner or person keeping or harboring a cat which was unlicensed
at the time of seizure does not within a reasonable period of time
produce a valid license and registration tag for the cat.
f.
No cat caught, and impounded, shall be sold or otherwise made available
for the purpose of experimentation.
g.
After observation, any cat impounded under this section suspected
of being rabid shall be immediately reported to the Health Officer
of the Warren Township Board of Health.
h.
If any owner requests pickup of an animal, including kittens born
to the parent cat, the owner is responsible for all expenses in disposing
of the unwanted animal(s).
[Amended 1-8-2020 by Ord. No. BH2020-2]
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, any person who
violates, or fails or refuses to comply with this chapter, shall be
liable to a penalty of not less than $50, nor more than $500, for
each offense, to be recovered by and in the name of the Warren Township
Board of Health, or by and in the name of the Township of Warren.