[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township
of Union as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
[Adopted 9-27-1966 by Ord. No. 969 (Ch.
168, Art. I, of the 2004 Code)]
A. Words defined.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
DOG
Any dog, bitch or spayed bitch.
DOG OF LICENSING AGE
Any dog which has attained an age of seven months or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
HYBRID ANIMAL
The offspring of a domestic animal and an animal of wildlife
species.
[Added 12-27-1994 by Ord. No. 4365]
KENNEL
Any establishment wherein or whereon the business of boarding
or selling dogs or breeding dogs for sale is carried on, except a
pet shop.
OWNER
When applied to the proprietorship of a dog, includes every
person having a right of property in such dog and every person who
has such a dog in his keeping.
PERSON
An individual, firm, partnership, corporation or association
of persons.
PET SHOP
Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen not part
of a kennel wherein dogs and other animals or pets are kept for sale
or displayed.
[Amended 8-9-1988 by Ord. No. 3987]
POUND
An establishment for the confinement of dogs seized either
under the provisions of this article or otherwise.
SHELTER
Any establishment where dogs are received, housed and distributed.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
TOWNSHIP
The Township of Union in the County of Union.
B. Word usage.
(1) The words
"and" and "or" may be used interchangeably, and either of the two
may be applicable, whichever is more conducive towards the effecting
of this article.
(2) Personal pronouns
shall mean either the singular or the plural, whichever is applicable
and conducive towards the effectuating of this article. The masculine,
feminine or the neuter gender shall be implied, whichever is appropriate
and conducive for the effectuating of this article.
[Amended 11-13-1989 by Ord. No. 4060]
A. No person shall
keep or harbor any dog within the Township of Union in the County
of Union without first obtaining a license therefor, to be issued
by the Clerk of the Township, upon application by the owner and payment
of the prescribed fee; and no person shall keep or harbor any dog
in said Township, except in compliance with the provisions of this
article.
B. No person shall
keep, harbor or maintain any wild or exotic animals as pets. The definition
of such wild or exotic animals shall be that found in N.J.A.C. 7:25-4.13.
C. Hybrid animals,
such as wolf dogs and other offspring of other domestic animals crossbred
with wildlife species, shall be prohibited within the Township of
Union.
[Added 12-27-1994 by Ord. No. 4365]
[Amended 8-13-1974 by Ord. No. 2902]
A. 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 Clerk of the
Township a license and official metal registration tag for each such
dog so owned, kept or harbored and shall place upon each such dog
a collar or harness with the registration tag securely fastened thereto.
B. No such license
and official metal registration tag shall be issued for any dog unless
the owner thereof provides evidence that the dog to be licensed and
registered 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 Agriculture and the United States Department
of Health, Education and Welfare or has been certified exempt as provided
by the regulations of the State Department of Health.
[Amended 9-27-1966 by Ord. No. 2349A; 7-27-1971 by Ord. No. 2902; 12-22-1981 by Ord. No. 3550; 12-22-1983 by Ord. No.
3622; 4-10-1984 by Ord. No. 3703; 7-22-1986 by Ord. No. 3864; 8-9-1988 by Ord. No. 3987; 12-13-1988 by Ord. No. 3997; 2-25-1992 by Ord. No.
4179; 10-12-1993 by Ord. No. 4273]
A. The person applying
for the license and registration tag shall pay a fee of $14, which
fee shall include the twenty-cents-per-dog fee for the State Pilot
Clinic Fund. In addition, the sum of $1 for the state registration
tag of each dog shall be paid. For each annual renewal, the fee for
the license, inclusive of the Pilot Clinic Fund, and for the registration
tag shall be the same as for the original license and tag. Said licenses,
registration tags and renewals thereof shall expire on the last day
of January in each year.
[Amended 8-28-2007 by Ord. No. 5017]
B. In compliance
with P.L. 1983, c. 172, any person applying for the license and registration tag
above mentioned shall pay an additional state fee of $3 for any dog
of reproductive age which has not had its reproductive capacity permanently
altered through sterilization.
C. The licensee fee
for any dog that has been spayed or neutered shall be reduced to $13.
This fee is inclusive of the State Pilot Clinic Fund fee and the state
registration fee.
[Amended 8-28-2007 by Ord. No. 5017]
D. In addition to
the fees charged herein for licensing, there shall be an additional
charge of $2 per month for each month that the owner of the dog requiring
licensing fails to renew. Said monthly penalty for failure to renew
shall commence each April 1 of the licensing period.
E. Dogs used as guides
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.
[Added 10-26-2004 by Ord. No. 4842 ;
amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions,
Art. I)]
The owner of any newly acquired dog of licensing
age or of any dog which attains licensing age shall make application
for a license and registration tag for such dog within 10 days after
such acquisition or age attainment.
The application shall state the breed, sex,
age, color and markings of the dog for which license and registration
are sought and whether it is of a long- or short-haired variety and
also the name, street and post office address of the owner and the
person who shall keep or harbor such dog. The information on said
application and the registration number issued for the dog shall be
preserved for a period of three years by the Clerk of the Township.
In addition, he shall forward similar information to the State Department
of Health each month on forms furnished by said Department. Registration
numbers shall be issued in the order of the applications.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
A. Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Township of Union any dog licensed in another state for the current year and bearing a registration tag and shall keep the same or permit 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 each such dog, unless such dog shall be licensed under Chapter
660, Article
V, Kennels, Pet Shops, Shelters and Pounds.
B. Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Township any unlicensed dog and shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the Township for a period of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag for each such dog unless such dog shall be licensed under Chapter
660, Article
V, Kennels, Pet Shops, Shelters and Pounds.
No person, except an officer in the performance
of his duties, shall remove a registration tag from the collar of
any dog without the consent of the owner, nor shall any person attach
a registration tag to a dog for which it is not issued.
[Amended 11-25-1975 by Ord. No. 3043; 12-22-1981 by Ord. No.
3550; 2-22-1983 by Ord. No. 3622; 4-10-1984 by Ord. No.
3703; 7-22-1986 by Ord. No. 3864; 12-13-1988 by Ord. No. 3997; 2-25-1992 by Ord. No. 4179]
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.
No dog kept in a kennel, pet shop, shelter or
pound shall be permitted off such premises, except on leash or in
a crate or other safe control.
[Amended 10-12-1993 by Ord. No. 4273]
License fees and other moneys collected or received
under the provisions of this article, except registration tag fees,
Pilot Clinic Fund and the Animal Population Control Fund shall be
forwarded to the Treasurer of the Township within 30 days after collection
or receipt and shall be placed in a special account separate from
any of the other accounts of the Township and which shall be used
for the following purposes only: for collecting, keeping and disposing
of dogs liable to seizure under this article; for local prevention
and control of rabies; for providing anti-rabies treatment under the
direction of the local Board of Health for any person known or suspected
to have been exposed to rabies; for all other purposes prescribed
by the statutes of New Jersey governing the subject; and for administering
the provisions of this article. Any unexpended balance remaining in
such special account shall be retained therein until the end of the
third fiscal year following and may be used for any of the purposes
set forth in this section. At the end of said third fiscal year following
and at the end of each fiscal year thereafter, there shall be transferred
from such special account to the general funds of the Township any
amount then in such account which is in excess of the total amount
paid into said special account during the last two fiscal year next
preceding.
A. The Clerk of
the Township shall forward to the State Department of Health a list
of all kennels, pet shops, shelters and pounds licensed within 30
days after the licenses therefor are issued, which list shall include
the name and address of the licensee and the kind of license issued.
B. The registration
tag fee of $1 for each dog, $0.20 Pilot Clinic Fund and $3 Animal
Population Control Fund shall be forwarded within 30 days after collection
by the Clerk to the State Department of Health.
[Amended 7-27-1971 by Ord. No. 2902; 11-25-1975 by Ord. No. 3550; 10-12-1993 by Ord. No. 4273]
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.
[Amended 7-27-1971 by Ord. No. 2902]
(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 $5 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 an euthanasia
fee of $15.
[Amended 12-22-1981 by Ord. No. 3550; 6-13-1995 by Ord. No.
4393]
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.
No person shall hinder, molest or interfere
with anyone authorized or empowered to perform any duty under this
article.
[Amended 11-13-1989 by Ord. No. 4060]
A. No person shall
keep, harbor or maintain any dog which habitually barks or cries between
the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
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 animals, including
but not limited to fowl, chickens, ducks, pigeons, horses, ponies,
pigs, goats, sheep and cattle may be harbored, maintained, sheltered
or kept therein between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. 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.
[Amended 9-26-2023 by Ord. No. 5784]
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.
No person owning, keeping or harboring a dog
shall permit or suffer it to do any injury or to do any damage to
any lawn, shrubbery, flowers, grounds or property.
[Added 6-9-1992 by Ord. No. 4200; amended 9-9-2008 by Ord. No.
5061]
No exotic animals are allowed in municipal parks.
[Added 8-25-1987 by Ord. No. 3930; amended 10-26-2004 by Ord. No.
4842; 10-25-2005 by Ord. No. 4908]
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
public health, safety and welfare, 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.
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 Union Township
Municipal Police Department and an officer of the Union Township Health
Department.
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
§ 168-23B.
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.
[Amended 7-27-1971 by Ord. No. 2669; 10-28-1986 by Ord. No.
3879]
A.
Any person who violates or refuses to comply with any part of the following sections, namely §§
208-3 through
208-8,
208-10 and
208-16, or with the rules and regulations promulgated by the State Department of Health governing the sanitary conduct and operation of kennels, pet shops, shelters and pounds, to preserve sanitation therein and prevent the spread of rabies and other diseases of dogs within and from such establishments, shall be liable to a penalty of not less than $5 nor more than $50 for each offense, to be recovered by and in the name of the Township. A person who refuses or neglects to pay forthwith the amount of a judgment rendered against him and the costs and charges incident thereto shall be committed by the court to the county jail for a period not exceeding 10 days in the case of a first conviction, and in the case of a conviction for a second, subsequent or continuing violation, for a period not exceeding 30 days.
B. Any person who violates or refuses to comply with any part of any of the following sections, namely, §§
208-17 through
208-22 of this article, shall be subject to one or more of the following: imprisonment in the county jail or in any other place provided by the municipality for the detention of prisoners for any term not exceeding 90 days or by a fine not exceeding $2,000 or by a period of community service not exceeding 90 days, to become effective on the effective date of this section.
[Amended 8-25-1987 by Ord. No. 3930; 12-13-1988 by Ord. No.
3998; 10-26-2004 by Ord. No. 4842; at time of adoption
of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
[Adopted 4-10-1990 by Ord. No. 4083 (Ch.
168, Art. II, of the 2004 Code)]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
ANIMAL CONTROL AUTHORITY
Any person or agency designated or certified by the State
of New Jersey to enforce the provisions of this article.
CAT
Any member of the domestic feline species, male, female or
altered.
CAT OF LICENSING AGE
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
CATTERY
Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen, not part
of a kennel, wherein cats for sale are kept or displayed.
LICENSING AUTHORITY
The agency or department of this Township or any designated
representative thereof charged with administering the issuance and/or
revocation of permits and licenses under the provisions of this article.
NEUTERED
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction, as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
OWNER
When applied to the proprietorship of a cat, includes 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.
PERSON
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or
institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
TOWNSHIP
The Township of Union in the County of Union.
A. Vaccination and
license requirements. No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain
any cat over seven months of age within the Township, 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 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.
A. Display of license
number. Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a cat of licensing
age shall annually apply for and procure from the Clerk of the municipality,
or other official designated by the governing body thereof to license
cats in the municipality in which he/she resides, 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
thereto or displayed thereon. 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. This requirement will not apply to a nonresident
keeping a cat within the Township for no longer than 90 days.
C. Cats brought
into Township.
(1) Any person
who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Township any cat licensed
in another state for the current year and bearing a registration tag
or sleeve and shall keep the same or permit 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 or sleeve for each such cat.
(2) Any person
who shall bring or cause to be brought into this Township any unlicensed
cat and shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the
Township for a period of more than 10 days shall immediately apply
for a license and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat.
D. Application,
contents and preservation of information. The application shall state
the breed, sex, age, color and markings of the cat for which the license
and registration is sought and whether it is of a longhaired or shorthaired
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 Clerk or other
local official designated to license cats in the municipality.
E. License forms
and tags. License forms and official tags or sleeves shall be furnished
by the municipality 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. No Municipal Clerk or other official designated by the governing
body of any municipality to license cats therein shall 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 recommendations of the
United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department
of Human Services or has been certified exempt as provided by § 208-27D
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. License fee schedule.
[Added 2-25-1992 by Ord. No. 4178]
(1) A license
shall be issued after payment of a fee of $18 for each unneutered
cat and $13 for each neutered cat.
[Amended 9-11-2007 by Ord. No. 5024]
(2) In addition
to the fees charged herein for licensing, there shall be an additional
charge of $2 per month for each month that the owner of the cat requiring
a license fails to renew. The said monthly penalty for failure to
renew shall commence each April 1 of the licensing period.
H. Payment of fees;
renewals; expiration date of license. A 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 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 the last day of January in each
year. Only one license and registration tag or sleeve shall be required
in the licensing year for any cat in this Township. Any valid New
Jersey license tag or sleeve issued by a New Jersey municipality shall
he accepted by this municipality as evidence of compliance.
I. Loss of license.
If a license tag or sleeve has been misplaced or lost, the Clerk or
other official designated by the governing body may issue a duplicate
license and/or registration sleeve for that particular cat at a fee
of $0.25.
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.
K. 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.
L. Disposition of
fees collected. License fees and other moneys collected or received
under the provisions of this article, except registration tag fees,
shall be forwarded to the Treasurer of the Township within 30 days
after collection or receipt and shall be placed in a special account
separate from any of the other accounts of the Township and which
shall be used for the following purposes only: for the collecting,
keeping and disposing of animals liable to seizure under this article;
for the local prevention and control of rabies; for providing antirabies
treatment under the direction of the local Board of Health for any
person known or suspected to have been exposed to rabies; for all
other purposes prescribed by the statutes of New Jersey governing
the subject; and for administering the provisions of this article.
Any unexpended balance remaining in such special account shall be
retained therein until the end of the third fiscal year following
and may be used for any of the purposes set forth in this section.
At the end of said third fiscal year following and at the end of each
fiscal year thereafter, there shall be transferred from such special
account to the general funds of the Township any amount then in such
account which is in excess of the total amount paid into said special
account during the last two fiscal year as next preceding.
[Amended 10-26-2004 by Ord. No. 4842; at time of adoption
of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
Except as otherwise provided in this article,
any person who violates or who fails or refuses to comply with any
part of any of the sections of this article shall be subject to one
or more of the following: imprisonment in the county jail or in any
other place provided by the municipality for the detention of prisoners
for any term not exceeding 90 days or by a fine not exceeding $2,0000
or by a period of community service not exceeding 90 days, to be recovered
by and in the name of the local Board of Health or by and in the name
of the municipality.