[Adopted 11-27-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-35; amended in its entirety 9-23-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-13]
For purposes of this article:
ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATION
Shall mean a non-profit organization incorporated under the law of any state and exempt from federal taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Federal Internal Revenue Code, as amended, and whose principal purpose is the prevention of cruelty to animals and whose principal activity is to rescue sick, injured, abused, neglected, unwanted, abandoned, orphaned, lost, or displaced animals and to adopt them to good homes. "Animal rescue organization" does not include any entity that breeds animals or that (1) is located on the same premises as; (2) has any personnel in common with; (3) obtains, in exchange for payment or any other form of compensation, dogs or cats from; or (4) facilitates the sale of dogs or cats obtained from a person that breeds animals.
ANIMAL SHELTER
Shall mean a facility, whether located within or outside the State of New Jersey, that is operated by or under contract with any state or a political subdivision of a state for the purpose of impounding or caring for seized, stray, homeless, abandoned, unwanted, or surrendered animals.
CAT
Shall mean any member of the species Felis catus.
DOG
Shall mean any member of the species Canis familiaris.
RETAIL PET STORE
A commercial establishment that sells or offers for sale animals for purchase on its premises.
SELL or OFFER FOR SALE
To display for sale or to exchange for consideration, barter, auction, trade, lease, or otherwise transfer.
A. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, it shall be unlawful for a retail pet store, as defined in § 70-23, to sell or offer for sale a dog or a cat.
B. 
Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a retail pet store from providing space to an animal rescue organization or an animal shelter, as defined in § 70-23, to publicly showcase dogs or cats available for adoption.
A. 
Any person or retail pet store that sells or offers for sale, a dog or a cat, in violation of this article shall be fined a sum of $500. Each sale or offer for sale in violation of this article shall constitute a separate offense.
B. 
Any person or retail pet store convicted of violating any provision of § 70-24 of the Code of the City of Union City, within one year of the date of a previous violation of that same provision, and who was fined for the previous violation, shall be sentenced to an additional fine as a repeat offender.