[Adopted 12-18-1995 by Ord. No. 753 as Secs. 5-1 to 5-8 of the 1995 Revised General Ordinances]
[Amended 12-20-2004 by Ord. No. 952]
Definitions in N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.1 and 4:19-18 shall apply to terms used in this article. Otherwise the following shall apply:
KEEPER
Any person exercising control over a dog or permitting a dog to remain on premises under his control.
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.
[Added 5-10-2010 by Ord. No. 1088]
PET SHOP
Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen, not part of a kennel, wherein animals for sale are kept or displayed.
[Added 5-10-2010 by Ord. No. 1088]
POUND
An establishment for the confinement of animals seized either under the provisions of this chapter or otherwise.
[Added 5-10-2010 by Ord. No. 1088]
SHELTER
Any establishment where animals are received, housed, and distributed.
[Added 5-10-2010 by Ord. No. 1088]
No person shall own, keep or harbor a dog in the Township except in compliance with the provisions of this chapter and the following regulations.
Licenses shall be required for the following dogs of licensing age:
A. 
Any dog owned or kept within the Township by a resident of the Township on January 1 of any calendar year.
B. 
Certificate of vaccination required. The Township Clerk shall not issue any dog license or registration tag unless the owner has provided evidence that the dog has received a rabies inoculation of the required type that is valid for the full license year and proof that the inoculation expires after the end of the license year. This evidence shall include but is not limited to a certificate of rabies vaccination for the dog to be licensed on a form recommended by the state and endorsed by the inoculating veterinarian indicating the expiration of the inoculation after the end of the license year.
C. 
Any dog acquired by any person during the course of any calendar year and kept within the Township for more than 10 days after acquisition.
D. 
Any dog attaining licensing age during the course of the calendar year.
E. 
Any unlicensed dog brought into the Township by any person and kept within the Township for more than 10 days.
F. 
Any dog licensed by another state brought into the Township by any person and kept within the Township for more than 90 days.
G. 
Any violation of this section shall be punishable by a fine of $50 per offense.
[Amended 5-20-2013 by Ord. No. 1176]
A. 
Each application for a license under this section shall give the following information:
(1) 
A general description of the dog sought to be licensed, including breed, sex, age, color and markings, and whether the dog is of a long- or short-haired variety.
(2) 
Name, street and post office address of the owner of and the person who shall keep or harbor the dog.
B. 
Registration numbers shall be issued in the order in which applications are received.
A. 
Applications for licenses for dogs which are required to be licensed by the provisions of § 19-3A shall be made before January 31 of each calendar year.
[Amended 12-20-2004 by Ord. No. 952]
B. 
In all other cases, the application for a license shall be made within 10 days of the day upon which the dog in question first becomes subject to the provisions of this article.
The information on all applications under this article and the registration number issued to each licensed dog shall be preserved for a period of three years by the Township Clerk. In addition, he shall forward similar information to the State Department of Health each month on forms furnished by the Department.
[Amended 12-20-2004 by Ord. No. 952; 12-22-2008 by Ord. No. 1060]
The person applying for the license and registration tag shall pay fees as set forth in Chapter 71, Fees, for an annual license and for a one-year registration tag for each dog; and for each renewal, the fee for the license and for the registration tag shall be the same as for the original license and tag. In addition to the fee charged heretofore, any person applying for the license and registration tag shall pay a fee as set forth in Chapter 71, Fees, for any dog which has not had its reproductive capacity permanently altered through sterilization. Any person applying for the license and registration tag shall also pay an additional fee, which shall be forwarded to the State Treasurer to be placed in the Pilot Clinic Fund created pursuant to P.L. 1983, c. 180 (N.J.S.A.4:19A-14) to be used by the Commissioner of Health for the operations of the Animal Sterilization Pilot Clinic established pursuant to that Act.
[Amended 12-20-2004 by Ord. No. 952]
Dogs used as guides for blind persons and commonly known as "Seeing Eye dogs," dogs used to assist handicapped persons and commonly known as "service dogs," dogs used to assist deaf persons and commonly known as "hearing ear" dogs shall be licensed in the same manner as other dogs, except that the owner or keeper shall not be required to pay the fee required in § 19-7.
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. Any violation of this section shall be punishable by a fine of $25 per offense.
[Amended 5-20-2013 by Ord. No. 1176]
B. 
Removal and 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.
[Amended 12-20-2004 by Ord. No. 952]
A. 
No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain any dog which habitually barks or cries between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
[Amended 8-27-2018 by Ord. No. 1329]
B. 
Any violation of this section shall result in:
[Added 5-20-2013 by Ord. No. 1176]
(1) 
A penalty of $50 for a first offense.
(2) 
A penalty of $100 for a second offense.
(3) 
A mandatory Municipal Court appearance for any third or subsequent offense.
C. 
Dogs barking while unattended. No person shall leave a dog unattended which habitually barks or cries, and no person shall keep, harbor or maintain a dog which habitually barks or cries while unattended.
[Added 8-27-2018 by Ord. No. 1329]
A. 
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, public building or other public place within the Township.
B. 
Any violation of this section shall result in:
[Added 5-20-2013 by Ord. No. 1176]
(1) 
A penalty of $50 for a first offense.
(2) 
A penalty of $100 for a second offense.
(3) 
A mandatory Municipal Court appearance for any third or subsequent offense.
A. 
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 unless the 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 six feet long.
B. 
Any violation of this section shall result in:
[Added 5-20-2013 by Ord. No. 1176]
(1) 
A penalty of $50 for a first offense.
(2) 
A penalty of $100 for a second offense.
(3) 
A mandatory Municipal Court appearance for any third or subsequent offense.
A. 
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.
B. 
Any violation of this section shall result in:
[Added 5-20-2013 by Ord. No. 1176]
(1) 
A penalty of $50 for a first offense.
(2) 
A penalty of $100 for a second offense.
(3) 
A mandatory Municipal Court appearance for any third or subsequent offense.
A. 
No person owning or in charge of any dog shall cause or allow the dog to soil, defile, defecate on or commit any nuisance on any common thoroughfare, sidewalk, passageway, by-path, play area, park or any place where people congregate or walk or upon any public property or upon any private property, without the permission of the owner.
B. 
Any person owning or in charge of any dog which soils, defiles, defecates on, or commits any nuisance on any common thoroughfare, sidewalk, passageway, by-path, play area, park or any place where people congregate or walk, or upon any public property whatsoever, or upon any private property, without the permission of the owner of the property, shall immediately remove all feces deposited by any such dog, in a sanitary manner.
C. 
The feces removed from the aforementioned designated areas shall be disposed of by the person owning or in charge of any such dog, in a sealed, nonabsorbent, leakproof container.
D. 
The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to blind persons who may use dogs as guides.
E. 
Any violation of this section shall result in:
[Added 5-20-2013 by Ord. No. 1176]
(1) 
A penalty of $50 for a first offense.
(2) 
A penalty of $100 for a second offense.
(3) 
A mandatory Municipal Court appearance for any third or subsequent offense.
A. 
Causes for impounding. The Animal Control Officer shall take into custody and impound, or cause to be taken into custody and impounded, any of the following dogs:
[Amended 12-20-2004 by Ord. No. 952]
(1) 
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;
(2) 
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;
(3) 
Any female dog in season off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or harboring said dog;
(4) 
Any dog or other animal which is suspected to be rabid;
(5) 
Any dog or other animal off the premises of the owner reported to, or observed by, the Animal Control Officer to be ill, injured or creating a threat to public health, safety or welfare, or otherwise interfering with the enjoyment of property.
B. 
Access to premises. Any officer 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 which he may lawfully seize and impound when such officer is in immediate pursuit of the dog, except upon the premises of the owner of the dog if the owner is present and forbids same.
C. 
Notice of seizure.
(1) 
If any dog so impounded or seized wears a registration tag, collar or harness having inscribed thereon or attached thereto the name and address of any person or the owner of, or the person keeping or harboring the dog is known, the Animal Control Officer shall immediately serve on the person owning, keeping or harboring the dog, a notice in writing stating that the dog has been seized and will be liable to be offered for adoption or destroyed if not claimed within seven days after service of the notice.
[Amended 12-20-2004 by Ord. No. 952]
(2) 
A notice under this subsection 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 at the address given on the collar, or by forwarding it by mail in a prepaid letter addressed to that person at his usual or last known place of abode, or to the address given on the collar.
D. 
Disposition of unclaimed dogs. The Animal Control Officer is authorized and empowered to cause the destruction of any unclaimed dog, in as humane a manner as possible, under any of the following contingencies:
(1) 
When any dog so seized has not been claimed by the person owning, keeping or harboring such dog within seven days after notice or within seven days of the dog's detention when notice has not been or cannot be given, as set forth in the previous subsection.
(2) 
If the person owning, keeping or harboring any dog so seized has not claimed the dog and has not paid all expenses incurred by reason of its detention, including maintenance, such fees as are determined by the Animal Control Officer or the Associated Humane Society.
(3) 
If the seized dog is unlicensed at the time of its seizure and the person owning, keeping or harboring such dog has not produced a license and registration tag as provided in this chapter.
[Amended 12-20-2004 by Ord. No. 952]
The provisions of N.J.S.A. 4:19-17 (L. 1989, c. 307) and the amendments and supplements thereto pertaining to vicious and potentially dangerous dogs are hereby adopted, enacted and incorporated herein.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Section 5-5.2, Quarantine, which followed this section, was deleted at time of adoption of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
Where it has been determined by a physician that a person has been bitten by a dog, such individual, or his parent or guardian if he is a minor, shall immediately notify the police.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
The Township Clerk shall annually or biennially cause a canvass to be made of all dogs owned, kept or harbored within the limits of the Township and shall report to the Township Clerk, the Board of Health and to the State Department of Health the results thereof, setting forth in separate columns the names and addresses of persons owning, keeping or harboring dogs; the number of licensed dogs owned, kept or harbored by each person, together with the registration number of each dog; the number of unlicensed dogs owned, kept or harbored by each person, together with a complete description of each unlicensed dog.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
A. 
License fees and other monies collected or received under the provisions of this article, except the registration tag fees, shall be forwarded to the Township Treasurer 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 shall be used for the following purposes only: collecting, keeping and disposing of dogs liable to seizure under this chapter; local prevention and control of rabies; 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; 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 the 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 the special account during the last two fiscal years next preceding.
B. 
The registration tag fee shall be forwarded within 30 days after collection by the Township Clerk to the State Department of Health.
The governing body shall have the power to appoint an Animal Control Officer whose duty it shall be to enforce the provisions of this chapter and impound unlicensed dogs running at large in violation of the provisions of this chapter. The Animal Control Officer shall make a monthly and annual report to the governing body.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
A. 
Establishment. The position of Animal Control Officer is hereby created.
B. 
Term. The Animal Control Officer may be appointed under contractual arrangement.
C. 
Duties. The Animal Control Officer shall perform all of the duties imposed upon him by the statutes of the State of New Jersey, as well as the administrative regulations of the State Department of Health of the State of New Jersey, as well as such duties as are imposed by Township ordinances.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
Except as provided in N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.19, violations of any provision of this article shall be punishable as provided in Chapter 1, General Provisions, Article I.
[1]
Editor's Note: Added at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).