[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Health
of the Township of Bethlehem 4-18-1990 by Ord. No. 251-90; amended in its entirety 9-6-2007 by Ord. No.
251-3-2007. Amendments noted where applicable.]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Dog or cat.
The municipal official designated by the Township Committee
to conduct a census of cats and dogs owned and harbored within the
municipality.
Any person or agency certified by the State of New Jersey
to enforce the provisions of this article, and appointed by the Township
Committee.
The agency, department or municipal official of Bethlehem
Township designated by the Township Committee and charged with administering
the issuance and/or revocation of permits and licenses under the provisions
of this article.
Any member of the domestic feline species: male, female,
or altered.
Any member of the domestic canine species; male, female,
or altered.
Intentionally giving food, shelter or refuge to an animal.
Any establishment, wherein or whereon the business of boarding
or selling dogs or breeding of dogs for sale is carried on, except
a pet shop or shelter.
Any dog or cat that shall have attained the age of seven
months or which possesses a set of permanent teeth.
Any present officer, employee, board or committee member
hired by the Township Committee of the Township, whether full- or
part-time. The term shall also include any person elected by the voters
of the Township to fill any official position in the Township, or
any person subsequently appointed to fill such position.
When applied to the proprietorship of a dog or cat, includes
every person having the right of property in such dog or cat, and
any person who has had any dog or cat in his keeping for a period
of seven days.
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization, or
institution commonly recognized by the law as a unit.
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
Any dog or cat running at large and not under the control
and supervision of its owner or a person authorized by its owner.
A.
The owner of any animal of licensing age shall apply
for and procure from the authorized animal licensing official of the
Township of Bethlehem a license and official metal registration tag
for each such animal so owned.
(1)
License forms and official tags shall be furnished
by the municipality, shall be numbered serially and shall bear the
year of issuance and name of the municipality.
B.
All animals 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.
(1)
No license shall be issued by the animal licensing
official for any animal which has not received an inoculation valid
through the 31st of October of the licensing year.
(2)
Exemptions for inoculation requirements shall be granted
for animals when a veterinarian certificate is presented stating that
because of an infirmity or other physical condition of regimen of
therapy, the inoculation of such animal shall be deemed inadvisable.
C.
A license from other New Jersey municipalities shall
be accepted as evidence of compliance with the licensing provisions
of this article.
D.
No minor shall be issued a license for an animal.
E.
Dogs used for blind persons, dogs used to assist handicapped
persons, or dogs used to assist deaf persons shall be licensed in
the manner prescribed in this article but shall not be required to
pay any fee associated with said license.
F.
The provisions of this article do not apply to any
animal held by a state or federal licensed research facility, veterinary
facilities where animals are held for diagnostic, medical, surgical,
or other treatments or licensed animal shelters, pounds or pet shops.
A.
All persons shall procure a license for animals so
owned or harbored by the 31st day of January each year. Said licenses
shall expire the 31st day of December.
(1)
Animals must be licensed with the animal licensing
official within 10 days after such animal is acquisitioned or within
10 days of such animal's attainment of licensing age.
(2)
Persons moving into the Township shall, within 30
days of taking residence, procure a license from the animal licensing
official or shall produce evidence of licensing in another municipality
to the animal licensing official.
B.
Persons found or known to be in noncompliance with
the licensing provisions of this chapter after the 30th day of September
shall be issued a summons by the Township of Bethlehem mandating a
municipal court appearance. No license shall be issued after said
date to persons with pending summonses until all obligations with
the court are fulfilled or unless the municipal prosecutor, at his
or her sole discretion, authorizes said noncompliant person(s) to
pay all outstanding monies due and owing to the Township prior to
said court appearance.
[Amended 3-19-2009 by Ord. No. 251.4.2009]
A.
Any person applying for an animal license shall pay
to the authorized animal licensing official of the Township of Bethlehem
the sum of $8 for a neutered or spayed animal and $11 for a nonneutered
or nonspayed animal.
B.
Loss of tag or license. If a tag or license has been
misplaced or lost, the animal licensing official may issue a duplicate
tag or license for that particular animal at a fee of $1.
C.
Animal licenses not procured by the 31st day of January
of each year shall be surcharged. Persons applying for said license
after the 31st of January shall be surcharged $5 per month per license
as a late fee beginning in February 1 and ending after the 31st of
August.
D.
Any person applying for a license in the month of
September, October, November, or December shall be assessed a flat
late fee of $20 in addition to previously accrued late fees owed due
to the Township.
E.
Any owner or person found harboring an animal found
by the Township animal census coordinator to have an unlicensed animal
shall be required to pay an additional delinquent discovery fee of
$50 per animal, plus the required license fee and applicable late
fees as provided in this article for licensing, together with any
other fines due to summonses issues that may be imposed on them, as
provided in this article.
F.
Any summons issued under the provision of § 158-3B shall carry a fine of $25, up to $500, a court cost of $33 and any restitution in the form of issuance fee, applicable late surcharges and delinquent discovery fees as reported by the animal licensing official to the municipal court.
[Amended 3-19-2009 by Ord. No. 251.4.2009]
G.
All monies received by the animal licensing official
shall be deposited by the animal licensing official in a special account,
separate from any of the other accounts of the municipality, within
48 hours of collection or receipt of said monies. Monies in said account
shall be used for the following purposes only: for collecting, keeping
and disposing of animals liable to seizure under the provisions of
this article; for local prevention and control of rabies; and for
providing treatment for rabies under the direction of the Board of
Health of the Township of Bethlehem for any persons known or suspected
to have been exposed to rabies. Any unexpended surplus remaining in
any such account shall be retained therein until the third fiscal
year following and may be used for any purposes set forth in this
subsection. 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 of
Bethlehem any amount then in such account which is in excess of the
total amount paid into special account during the last two fiscal
years next preceding.
A.
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.5, the application for
a dog license shall state name, breed, sex, age, color, and markings
of the dog for which the license is sought, whether it is of a long-,
medium- or short-haired variety, whether it has been surgically debarked
or silenced and a microchip identification number, if applicable.
The application shall also require the name, street, telephone number
and post office address of the owner to be recorded.
B.
The application for a cat license shall state name,
breed, sex, age, color, and markings of the cat for which the license
is sought, whether it is of a long-, medium- or short-haired variety,
and a microchip identification number, if applicable. The application
shall also the name, street, telephone number and post office address
of the owner to be recorded.
A.
At the reorganization meeting of the Township Committee
of each year, the Committee shall appoint an animal control officer
for the Township of Bethlehem. Such animal control officer shall receive
only such remuneration as is hereinafter provided.
B.
The duties of the animal control officer shall be
as follows:
(1)
To take into custody and impound and thereafter euthanize
or dispose of as hereinafter provided:
(a)
Any animal off the premises of the owner or
the person keeping or harboring said animal for the owner, which animal
the animal control officer shall have reason to believe is a stray
animal, whether or not said animal is licensed or carries a registration
tag.
(b)
Any animal off the premises of the owner or
the person keeping or harboring said animal for the owner without
a current license and registration tag.
(c)
Any animal which has alleged to have bitten
or scratched any person may be impounded for the purposes of observation
as to rabies.
(d)
Any female dog in season off the premises of
the owner or of the person harboring or keeping said dog for the owner.
(e)
Any animal off the premises of the owner reported
to, or observed by, a certified 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.
(2)
The animal control officer shall be compensated by
the Township for his/her services upon terms and conditions set forth
by the Township Committee.
A.
It shall be unlawful for any person owning, keeping,
harboring or having the custody and possession of any animal to allow
said animal to run at large off the premises of the premises of said
person within the Township of Bethlehem unless said animal is under
the immediate control and supervision of the owner at any time.
B.
It shall be unlawful for any person owning, keeping,
harboring or having the custody and possession of any female dog in
season to be or remain off the premises of said person at any time.
A.
The animal control officer, upon impounding any animal,
if the owner thereof shall be known, shall forthwith serve on the
owner of said animal a notice in writing stating that the animal has
been seized and may be disposed of or euthanized if not claimed within
seven days after the service of said notice.
(1)
A notice under this section may be served either by
delivering it to said person or owner or by leaving it at the person's
usual place of residence or by forwarding it by post in a prepaid
letter addressed to the owner at his usual or last known place of
residence.
(2)
When any animal so seized has been detained for seven
days after notice, when notice can be given as set forth above, or
has been detained for seven days after seizure, when no notice has
been given if the owner if not known, and if the owner has not claimed
said animal and paid all expenses incurred by reason of its detention,
including maintenance at the rate of $15 per day plus any kennel fees
and/or veterinarian fees there may be over and above the fifteen-dollar-per
day fee, and if the animal is unlicensed at the time of seizure and
the owner has not produced a license for said animal, the animal control
officer may cause the animal to be euthanized.
The animal control officer is hereby authorized
to go upon any premises to seize for impounding any animal which he
may lawfully impound when said animal control officer is in immediate
pursuit of such animal except upon the premises of the owner of the
animal, if said owner is present and forbids the same.
A.
All persons seeking to establish a kennel in the Township
of Bethlehem must procure a license from the animal licensing official
annually. All kennel licenses shall expire on the 31st day of May
each year.
B.
No person shall be permitted to establish a kennel
on property so owned by said person unless the property is at least
seven acres in size.
C.
All persons seeking a license for a kennel shall apply
to the Board of Health of the Township of Bethlehem for said license
and must demonstrate with supporting evidence that the applicant is
in compliance with standards set forth by the State of New Jersey
and the Department of Health and Senior Services as established in
N.J.A.C. 8:23A-1.1 through N.J.A.C. 8:23A-1.13, as may be amended
or supplemented, and any other applicable state-issued guidelines
for the sanitary operation of kennels, pet shops, shelters and pounds
and shall be subject to inspections by the Board of Health to ensure
compliance thereafter.
E.
All dogs of licensing age permanently harbored at
a licensed kennel shall be licensed pursuant to the licensing provisions
established in this article.
A.
The Township Committee shall appoint an animal census
coordinator to conduct to a census of dogs in the Township either
annually or biannually, at the direction of the governing body, in
accordance with N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.15.
B.
Said animal census coordinator appointed to conduct
the canvass of dogs within the municipality shall also take a census
of cats owned or harbored within the municipality.
C.
Said animal census coordinator shall be compensated
by the Township for his/her services upon terms and conditions and
at the rate set forth from time to time by the Township Committee.
No person shall hinder, molest, or interfere
with anyone authorized or empowered to perform any duty under this
article. Any person found to be in violation of this provision shall
be subject to a fine no less than $25 nor more than $50.
A.
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, any
person who violates or who fails or refuses to comply with this chapter
shall be liable to penalty of not more than $50 for each offense.
B.
The animal control officer, animal census coordinator,
the animal licensing official or any person authorized by the Board
of Health of the Township of Bethlehem shall have the power to sign
a complaint in the municipal court against any person alleged to have
violated any of the provisions of this chapter, and any monies collected
by the municipal court shall be applied and disbursed pursuant to
New Jersey statue.
