Any person who keeps or operates or proposes to establish a kennel, a pet shop, a shelter or a pound shall apply to the Township Department of Health for a license entitling him to keep or operate such establishment.
A. 
The application shall describe the premises where the establishment is located or is proposed to be located and the purpose or purposes for which it is to be maintained and shall be accompanied by the written approval of the Health Officer of the Board of Health of the Township, showing compliance with the local and state rules and regulations governing location of and sanitation at such establishments.
(1) 
Any facility constructed or renovated after January 1995 shall first submit plan(s) to the Department of Health.
(2) 
These plan(s) must show the layout of all rooms, areas, pens, cages, etc., and equipment and utilities necessary to comply with the standards as set forth in N.J.A.C. 8:23A et seq.
(3) 
These plans must be completely drawn to scale by at least a draftsman and contain all information requested by the Health Officer.
(4) 
Once a satisfactory plan is submitted the plans must be approved or denied within 30 days. If denied, the applicant shall revise said plans and resubmit them.
(5) 
No kennel, pet shop, shelter, or pound shall be constructed until the plans have been approved by the Health Officer and only constructed as approved.
B. 
All licenses issued for a kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound shall state the purpose for which the establishment is maintained, and all such licenses shall expire on the last day of January of each year and be subject to revocation by the Township Board of Health on recommendations of the State Department of Health or the Health Department of the Township for failure to comply with the rules and regulations of the State Department or the Board of Health of the Township governing the same, after the owner has been afforded a hearing by either the State Department or the Board of Health of the Township.
C. 
Any person holding such license shall not be required to secure individual licenses for dogs or cats by such license and kept at such establishments; such licenses shall not be transferable to another owner or different premises.
A. 
The fee for a plan review by the Health Department shall be $125, nonrefundable.
B. 
The annual license fee for a kennel providing accommodations for 10 or fewer dogs shall be $10, and for more than 10 dogs, $25. The annual license fee for a pet shop shall be $10. No fee shall be charged for a shelter or pound. The licenses herein provided for shall expire on the last day of January of each year.
A. 
Any person who is required to secure a license pursuant to § 660-20 shall only receive approval from the Health Officer if that person demonstrates compliance with the New Jersey Administrative Code, Title 8, Chapter 23A et seq.
B. 
Any holder of a license to operate an animal facility shall comply at all times with the standards of N.J.A.C. 8:23A et seq.
C. 
Failure of any license holder to comply with N.J.A.C. 8:23A in whole or in part shall be subject to legal action including but not limited to license revocation.
The Township Board of Health shall have the power to appoint an Animal Control Officer, whose duty it shall be to enforce the provisions of this chapter. The Township Board of Health shall also have the power to appoint one or more persons, to be known as "dog catchers," who may impound unlicensed dogs running at large in violation of the provisions of this chapter. In addition, the Health Officer and his designees of the Township of Union shall be empowered to enforce the provisions of this chapter.
The Animal Control Officer of the Township 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 section:
A. 
Any dog off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or harboring said dog, which said official or his agent, or agents, have reason to believe is a stray dog.
B. 
Any dog off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or harboring said dog without a current registration tag on his collar.
C. 
Seized dogs.
(1) 
Any female dog in season off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or harboring said dog.
(2) 
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 Animal Control Officer shall forthwith serve on the person whose address is given on the collar or on the owner or on the 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.
(3) 
A notice under this section may be served either by delivering it to the person on whom it is to be served or by leaving it at the person's usual, or last known place of abode or to the address given on the collar.
(4) 
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 after seizure, when notice has not been and cannot be 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 not exceeding $20 per day, and if the dog is unlicensed at the time of the seizure and the owner or person keeping or harboring said dog has not produced a license and registration tag for said dog, the Animal Control Officer may cause the dog to be destroyed in a manner causing as little pain as possible. In such a case, the owner shall pay to the Township a euthanasia fee as invoiced by servicing veterinarian.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 550, General Provisions, Board of Health, Art. I)]
Any person 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 or dogs 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.
A. 
No person shall keep, harbor or maintain any dog which habitually barks or cries. A dog shall be presumed to be habitually barking and/or crying if the bark or cry continues, uninterrupted, for 10 minutes.
B. 
No person shall harbor, maintain, shelter or in any other manner or description keep any dog, cat or other animal outside the main confines of any dwelling or place of business between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
C. 
For the purposes of this section, detached or attached garages, sheds, doghouses or similar shelters used in conjunction with outdoor fenced areas shall likewise be restricted so that no dog, cat or other animal may be harbored, maintained, sheltered or kept therein between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
D. 
It is the specific purpose and intent of this section to assure that the ownership of any animal, by any individual or establishment, shall not cause disturbances to the peace, tranquility or quality of life of any other individual.
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog shall suffer or permit it to run at large upon the public streets or in any public park, or in any public building, or in any other public place within the Township of Union in the County of Union.
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog shall suffer or permit it to be upon the public streets or in any of the public places of the Township of Union, unless such dog is accompanied by a person over the age of 12 years and if securely confined and controlled by an adequate leash not more than six feet long.
A. 
Purpose. The purpose of this section is to establish requirements for the proper disposal of pet solid waste in the Township of Union, so as to protect animal health, public health, safety and welfare, environmental quality, and to prescribe penalties for failure to comply.
B. 
Definitions and word usage. For the purpose of this section, the following terms, phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meanings stated herein unless their use in the text of this article clearly demonstrates a different meaning. When not inconsistent with the context, words used in the present tense include the future, words used in the plural number include the singular number, and words used in the singular number include the plural number. The word "shall" is always mandatory and not merely directory.
IMMEDIATE
The pet solid waste is removed at once, without delay.
OWNER/KEEPER
Any person who shall possess, maintain, house or harbor any pet or otherwise have custody of any pet, whether or not the owner of such pet.
PERSON
Any individual, corporation, company, partnership, firm, association, or political subdivision of this state subject to municipal jurisdiction.
PET
A domesticated animal (other than a disability-assistance animal) kept for amusement or companionship.
PET SOLID WASTE
Waste matter expelled from the bowels of the pet; excrement.
PROPER DISPOSAL
Placement in a designated waste receptacle, or other suitable container, and discarded in a refuse container which is regularly emptied by the municipality or some other refuse collector; or disposal into a system designed to convey domestic sewage for proper treatment and disposal. Neither a public right-of-way, curb or street gutter, nor a storm drain is a conveyance to a sanitary sewer system.
C. 
Requirement for disposal. All pet owners and keepers are required to immediately and properly dispose of their pet's solid waste deposited on any property, public or private, not owned or possessed by that person.
D. 
Exemptions. Any owner or keeper who requires the use of a disability assistance animal shall be exempt from the provisions of this section while such animal is being used for that purpose.
E. 
Enforcement. The provisions of this section shall be enforced by the Township of Union Health Departments' Health Officer or designee.
F. 
Violations and penalties. Any person(s) who is found to be in violation of the provisions of this section shall be subject to the penalties as set forth in Article VIII, § 660-38.
G. 
Severability. Each section, subsection, sentence, clause and phrase of this section is declared to be an independent section, subsection, sentence, clause and phrase, and the finding or holding of any such portion of this section to be unconstitutional, void, or ineffective for any cause or reason shall not affect any other portion of this section.
H. 
Effective date. This section shall be in full force and effect from and after its adoption and any publication as may be required by law.
A. 
Animal Control Officer standards:
(1) 
No person shall serve as an Animal Control Officer in the Township of Union unless he or she shall have successfully obtained and maintains in good standing a certification pursuant to N.J.A.C. 8:23A-2.4.
(2) 
A certified Animal Control Officer shall only serve as such in the Township of Union pursuant to the approval of the Board of Health of the Township of Union.
(3) 
A certified Animal Control Officer appointed by the Township of Union Board of Health shall be the agent of the Health Officer pursuant to N.J.S.A. 26:3-19, and N.J.A.C. 8:23A.
(4) 
A certified Animal Control Officer who has successfully completed an animal cruelty investigators course pursuant to N.J.A.C. 8:23A-2.6, and N.J.A.C. 8:23A-2.8 and is appointed as such by the Board of Health of the Township of Union shall serve under the direction of the Health Officer pursuant to N.J.S.A. 26:3-19.
(5) 
Both Animal Control Officers and animal cruelty investigators shall enforce the statutes of the State of New Jersey, Title 4, Subchapter 4:19-15 to 4:19-15.16(d); Title 26, 26:4-78 through 26:4-95; State regulations N.J.A.C. 8:23A et seq.; the Township of Union Codes Chapter 660, Articles I through VII, and Health Department Policy Procedures as adopted by the Board as well as the New Jersey State Health Departments Essential Components of Municipal Animal Control.
B. 
Animal facilities operations:
(1) 
The sanitary operations of kennels, pet shops, shelters, and pounds shall meet the standards of Subchapter 1 of N.J.A.C. Chapter 8:23A.
(2) 
Conform to § 660-20, Subsections A through C, and § 660-22.
C. 
Enforcement of animal prohibitions:
(1) 
Impoundment for dogs.
(a) 
Dogs, § 660-25, Subsections A, B, and C(1) through (4).
NOTE: Cats are regulated by Article II as ascribed in this chapter.
[Added 12-14-2011; amended 4-23-2024 by Ord. No. 5812]
A. 
Animal adoption and fee.
(1) 
Dogs and cats cannot be adopted from the Township of Union Animal Shelter until the potential adoptee has submitted a completed Township of Union Health Department shelter adoption application.
(2) 
The completed adoption application form shall be reviewed by the Township Health Officer or his/her designee. Such review shall be approved or denied within two weeks of submission. A reason shall be provided to the applicant upon denial.
(3) 
Prior to release of the applied-for dog or cat a fee must be paid in cash or money order to the Township of Union Health Department in the amount as follows:
(a) 
Canine adoption: $325.
(b) 
Feline adoption: $275.
B. 
Boarding and fee.
(1) 
The Township of Union Health Department Shelter will not board pets unless the dog or cat has been lost and been brought to our shelter or picked up by our ACO as a stray or lost pet.
(2) 
A stray, lost or abandoned pet shall be kept for seven days and thereafter, if not redeemed by its rightful owner, it becomes the property of the Township of Union Health Department.
(3) 
Unclaimed pets after seven days will be offered for adoption. If the animal cannot be adopted or rescued, rather than abandoning it within our shelter, it may be euthanized.
(4) 
Before anyone can claim their pet they must show positive proof of ownership. Acceptable proofs include: a current pet license, a current veterinarian's record of shots and/or treatment; a chip identifying ownership, and/or pedigree papers.
(5) 
The fee for, i.e., claiming a pet shall be a fee of $150 per dog and $125 per cat and shall include veterinarians' fees for treating the animal for illness or injury while being sheltered by the Health Department Animal Shelter.
(6) 
Any owner whose pet is redeemed for a second or subsequent time shall pay $100 for each redemption and be charged with violating appropriate sections of this chapter.
C. 
Administrative fee per dog $225 and per cat $175.
(1) 
Receiving unwanted animals brought to the shelter with proof of ownership and residencies are as follows:
(a) 
Dogs/puppies: $200 per animal.
(b) 
Cats/kittens: $75 per animal.
(c) 
All other species received would need proper cage, food, etc.: $100 per species.