[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council
of the Township of Bridgewater 5-21-1990 by Ord. No. 90-6. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Any person or agency designated or certified by the State
of New Jersey to enforce the provisions of this chapter.
Any member of the domestic feline species; male, female or
neutered.
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen or part
of a kennel wherein cats for sale are kept or displayed.
Licensing authority shall mean the office of the Township
Clerk or the Board of Health or any other designated department or
representative of the Township so charged with administering the issuance
and/or revocation of permits and licenses under the provisions of
this chapter.
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
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.
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or
institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
A.
Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall
own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age within
the Township of Bridgewater, 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 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 A.
C.
Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination
shall be issued to the owner of each animal vaccinated on a form recommended
by the state and/or approved by the Bridgewater Health Officer.
D.
Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements
of such vaccination for a specified period of time by the Board of
Health of the Township of Bridgewater 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.
Cats must have license number displayed. Any person
who shall own, keep or harbor a cat of licensing age shall annually
apply for and procure from the licensing authority a license and official
registration tag with license number 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 or displayed thereto. Acceptable
methods of displaying a license shall include, but are not limited
to, breakaway or elastic collars. License tags are not transferable.
Any cat of licensing age who does not bear an official valid registration
tag shall be deemed a stray. Stray cats may be confiscated by the
Township Animal Control Warden.
B.
Time for applying for license.
(1)
Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a cat of
licensing age shall, in the month of June of each year and annually
thereafter, apply for and procure from the authorized municipal licensing
official a license which shall expire on the last day of May of each
year.
(2)
The owner of any newly acquired cat of licensing age
or any cat which attains licensing age shall make application for
a license tag 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 of Bridgewater for no longer than 90 days.
C.
Cats brought into jurisdiction.
(1)
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought
into the Township of Bridgewater any cat licensed in another state
for the current year and bearing registration tag and who has proof
of rabies vaccination and shall keep the same or permit the same to
be kept within the Township of Bridgewater for a period of more than
90 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag
for each such cat.
(2)
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought
into the Township any unlicensed cat and shall keep same or permit
same to be kept within the Township of Bridgewater for a period of
more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration
tag for each such cat.
D.
Application contents; preservation of information.
The application shall state the breed, sex, age, name, color and markings
of the cat for which license and registration are sought and whether
it is of a long- or short-haired variety, also the name, street and
post office address of the owner and 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 minimum of three
years by the local officials designated to license cats in the municipality.
E.
License forms and tags. License forms and official
tags shall be furnished by the licensing authority 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 licensing authority shall grant such license and official registration tag 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 § 79-2D of this chapter. The rabies inoculation shall be administered by a duly licensed veterinarian permitted by law to do same.
H.
Fees; renewals; expiration date of license. Licenses
from another municipality shall be accepted. The person who applies
for the license and registration tag shall pay the fee fixed or authorized.
The fee for the renewal of the license and registration tag shall
be the same as for the original. Said license, registration tag and/or
renewal thereof shall expire the following year. Only one license
and registration tag shall be required in the licensing year for any
cat in the Township of Bridgewater. Any valid New Jersey license tag
issued by a New Jersey municipality shall be accepted by this municipality
as evidence of compliance.
I.
Loss of license. If a license tag has been misplaced
or lost, the licensing authority may issue a duplicate license registration
tag for that particular cat for a fee of $1.
J.
Proof of license. Proof of licensing shall be produced
by any person owning, keeping, maintaining or harboring a cat, upon
request by any health official, police officer, animal control officer
and other authorized person.
K.
Interfering with persons performing duties under this
chapter. No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized
or empowered to perform any duty under this chapter.
L.
Disposition of fees collected. License fees and other
moneys collected or received under the provisions of this chapter
shall be forwarded to the treasurer of the Township of Bridgewater
and shall be placed in a special account separate from any of the
other accounts of the Township of Bridgewater and shall be used for
the following purposes only: collecting, keeping and disposing of
cats liable to seizure; for local prevention and control of rabies;
providing antirabies treatment under the direction of the Board of
Health for any person known or suspected to have been exposed to rabies;
and for administering the provisions of this chapter. Any unexpended
balance remaining in such special account shall be retained 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 thereafter, there shall be transferred from such special
account to the general funds of the municipality 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.
If any section, subsection or paragraph of this
chapter is declared to be unconstitutional, invalid or inoperative,
in whole or in part, by a court of competent jurisdiction, such section,
subsection or paragraph shall, to the extent that it is not unconstitutional,
invalid or inoperative, remain in full force and effect, and no such
determination shall be deemed to invalidate the remaining sections,
subsections or paragraphs of this chapter.
A.
Maximum penalty. Unless otherwise provided by law,
statute or ordinance, any person violating any of the provisions of
this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, pay a penalty of not
less than $25 nor more than $100 for each offense. Complaint shall
be made in the Municipal Court of the Township or before such other
judicial officer having authority under the laws of the State of New
Jersey. In addition, the Court shall have the power to impose other
penalties provided by N.J.S.A. 26:3-77 and 26:3-78.
B.
Separate violation. Except as otherwise provided,
each and every day in which a violation of any of the provisions of
this chapter exists shall constitute a separate violation.
