Jackson, NJ Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)

Section 98-57D sits inside the Township's 2019 Humane and Ethical Animal Rules and Treatment (HEART) Ordinance, Chapter 98, Article X, adopted November 12, 2019 by Ordinance No. 29-19. Subsection D(1) makes it unlawful, anywhere within the municipal limits of Jackson Township, to kill, trap, hunt, shoot or attempt to shoot, willfully injure or maim any bird or wild fowl, or to rob a bird or wild fowl nest of its eggs, unless the person holds a license issued by the State of New Jersey. Subsection D(2) allows removal of birds congregating in numbers large enough to become a public nuisance, endanger public health or damage property, but only by persons the municipality has authorized or qualified to perform that removal; feral or wild birds may be deemed a nuisance regardless of number.

Subsection D(3) separately bars anyone other than an Animal Control Officer from feeding wild or feral birds on Township public property unless the area is posted otherwise. Subsection D(4) exempts state-organized specific hunts conducted under all requirements the hunt itself sets. Section 98-57E also exempts holders of certain federal and state wildlife permits, such as a Depredation Control Permit or an Exotic and Nongame Wildlife Species Possession Permit, where the ordinance would otherwise be more restrictive than what the permit allows. Enforcement runs through § 98-57F: a base violation carries a fine of up to $500 and up to 30 days' imprisonment, or both, at the court's discretion, and for § 98-57D specifically, each offense is counted individually by the number of birds or eggs affected, so a multi-bird incident can produce multiple counts.