As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
ANIMAL
Any dog, cat, reptile or other exotic pet, or livestock other
than poultry.
ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER (ACO)
A certified municipal animal control officer. This includes
all Assistant Animal Control Officers who are certified as municipal
animal control officers.
CAT
Any member of the feline species, male, female or neutered.
DOG
Any dog, male, female, or neutered, or any dog hybrid.
DOG OF LICENSING AGE
Any dog which has attained the age of seven months or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
IMPOUNDED ANIMAL
Any animal taken into custody or seized by legal capture
and occupying quarters at the shelter.
KENNEL
Any establishment wherein or whereon more than five dogs
are kept or boarded or any establishment wherein or whereon the keeping
or breeding dogs for sale is carried on except as a pet shop. Owners
of five dogs or less, whose female dog has puppies, shall be exempt
from the above, provided the puppies are kept no longer than seven
months.
OWNER
Shall include, when applied to the proprietorship of an animal,
every person having a right of property in the animal and every person
who has an animal in his keeping or is otherwise exercising control
over an animal or permitting an animal to remain on premises under
his control. In the event such person is an unemancipated minor, such
person’s parent or guardian shall be deemed to be the owner.
PET
A domesticated animal (other than a disability assistance
animal) kept for amusement or companionship.
[Added 12-20-2005 by Ord. No. 2005:32]
PET SHOP
Any place of business which is not part of a kennel, wherein
animals, including but not limited to dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles,
rabbits, hamsters or gerbils, are kept or displayed chiefly for the
purpose of sale to individuals for personal appreciation and companionship
rather than for business or research purposes.
PET SOLID WASTE
Waste matter expelled from the bowels of the pet; excrement.
[Added 12-20-2005 by Ord. No. 2005:32]
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DOG
A dog declared potentially dangerous by the Municipal Court
pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:19-22, as amended.
POUND
An establishment for the confinement of dogs or other animals
seized under the provisions of this article or otherwise.
RUNNING AT LARGE
The running or standing of any dog, on any street or other
public or private place, except on the property of the owner or the
custodian of the dog, unattended and not under the immediate control
of some responsible person able to control such dog.
SHELTER
Any establishment maintained and operated for the confinement
and distribution of animals impounded or taken into protective custody,
pursuant to this article.
[Amended 12-20-2005 by Ord. No. 2005:31]
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.15, as amended,
the ACO of the Township shall annually cause a canvass to be made
of all dogs owned, kept or harbored within the limits of the Township
and shall report to the Clerk, the Office of Health and the State
Department of Health and Senior Services the results thereof in compliance
with state statutes.
The ACO shall take into custody any animal that
is temporarily abandoned due to car accidents, emergency hospitalizations,
or other unexpected situations as so directed by the chief law enforcement
officer.
[Amended 3-22-2005 by Ord. No. 2005:03; 5-18-2010 by Ord. No. 2010:09; 3-19-2019 by Ord. No. 2019:06]
A. Any
person wishing to adopt an animal from the shelter may do so upon
payment of the following fees to help defray the cost of health care
and maintenance for said animals. A low-cost spay/neuter certificate
will be issued, if needed.
(1) Puppy (under six months old): $100.
(2) Dog (over six months old): $80.
(3) Kitten (under six months old): $70.
(4) Cat (over six months old): $50.
No person shall own, keep or harbor a dog in
the Township except in compliance with the provisions of this article
and the following regulations.
A. Wearing of registration. All dogs, which are required
by the provisions of this article to be licensed, shall wear a collar
or harness with the registration tag for the dog securely fastened
thereto.
B. Use of registration tags. 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 was not
issued.
C. Interference with official duties. No person shall
hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized or empowered to
perform any duty under this article.
D. Disturbing the peace. No person shall own, keep, harbor
or maintain any dog which habitually barks or cries continually for
10 minutes or intermittently for 30 minutes unless provoked.
E. Running at large. No person owning, keeping or harboring
any dog shall permit or allow the dog to run at large within the limits
of the Township, except that this provision shall not apply to private
property where the owner thereof has consented to the dog running
at large or to hunting dogs during hunting season, or while they are
being trained, provided at all times such dogs are under the control
of the owner and trainer.
F. Leashing of dogs. No person owning, keeping or harboring
any dog shall permit or allow the dog to be off the premises of such
owner or person so harboring the dog, or be upon the public streets
or in any public places of the Township, unless such dog is accompanied
by a person over the age of 12 years and is securely confined and
controlled by an adequate leash, not more than eight feet long.
G. Pet solid waste disposal.
[Amended 12-20-2005 by Ord. No. 2005:32]
(1) No person owning or in charge of any animal shall
cause or allow such animal to soil, defile, defecate on, or commit
any nuisance on any common thoroughfare, sidewalk, passageway, bypath,
play area, park, or any place where people congregate or walk, or
upon any property, public or private, not owned or possessed by that
person.
(2) All pet owners and keepers of any animal which soils,
defiles, defecates on, or commits any nuisance on any common thoroughfare,
sidewalk, passageway, bypath, play area, park, or any place where
people congregate or walk, or upon any public property whatsoever,
or upon any private property without permission of the owner of the
property, shall immediately (at once, without delay) and properly
dispose of their pet’s solid waste.
(3) The feces removed from the aforementioned designated
areas shall be placed in a designated waste receptacle, or other suitable
leakproof container, and discarded in a refuse container which is
regularly emptied by the municipality or some other refuse collector;
or disposed of into a system designed to convey domestic sewage for
proper treatment and disposal.
(4) 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.
(5) The provisions of this section shall be enforced by
the ACO, the Assistant ACO, police officers of the Township, the Township
Health Officer, and such other personnel of the Division of Health
as are directed to enforce this section by the Health Officer.
Where it has been determined by a physician
that a person has been bitten by a domestic animal, the individual,
or his parent or guardian if he is a minor, shall immediately notify
the police. When the owner or keeper of any such animal is notified
by the police that the animal has bitten any individual, the owner
or keeper of the animal shall comply with the following procedures
to determine if the animal has rabies:
A. Have the animal examined by a licensed veterinarian
within 12 hours and daily thereafter, if necessary.
B. Have the animal kept in confinement in the owner’s
home, at a kennel, a shelter or under the care of a veterinarian for
a period of 10 days.
C. At the end of the 10 days have the animal reexamined
by a veterinarian and a written report of the animal’s state
of health sent to the Health Department.
Upon recommendation of the Health Officer or
the Township Veterinarian, the Council may, by proclamation, require
all dogs and cats to be quarantined during any period in each year
which may seem advisable to the Council.
The Township offers trapping as a service to
it residents. A refundable deposit of $75 is required for any trap
placed on residential property. Upon completion of trapping, and provided
that the trap is returned in workable condition, the Township shall
return the deposit to the resident in conjunction with Township guidelines.
For any lost, stolen or damaged trap (not due to excessive wear) the
deposit shall be forfeited by the resident, and kept by the Township
for repair or replacement of the trap.
The Mayor shall have the power to appoint an
ACO and Assistant ACO’s, whose duty it shall be to enforce the
provisions of this article.
Any person or persons violating any of the provisions
of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a fine
not exceeding $1,000, or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 90
days, or both, or to a period of community service not exceeding 90
days at the discretion of the Municipal Court Judge.
The provisions of this Code article relevant
to potentially dangerous dogs shall not apply to dogs used for law
enforcement activities.
The Township Health Officer and his authorized
agents are authorized to take all steps necessary to execute the goals
and procedures outlined in N.J.S.A. 4:19A-1 et seq., as amended.