Elizabeth, NJ Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Vicious dog test
- Behavior only: attacks or bites
- Breed-specific ordinance
- Repealed by Ord. No. 4711 (2016)
- Repealed section
- Former § 6.04.370, pit bull licensing
- Current dangerous-animal rule
- § 6.04.290, applies to any breed
- Enforcement
- Dog warden and municipal court
Summary
Elizabeth regulates dogs by behavior, not breed. City code defines a "vicious dog" only by what it does, attacking or biting a person or habitually attacking other animals, and in 2016 the city council repealed its old pit bull licensing ordinance outright, leaving no breed-specific rule on the books today.
"Vicious dog" means any dog which has attacked or bitten any human being or which habitually attacks other dogs or domestic animals. ... Editor's note— Ord. No. 4711, § 1, adopted May 10, 2016, repealed the former section 6.04.370 in its entirety, which pertained to the licensing of pit bull dogs, and derived from the prior code § 68-38.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31).
Full Breakdown
010 of the animal control chapter defines "vicious dog" purely by conduct: any dog which has attacked or bitten any human being or which habitually attacks other dogs or domestic animals. No breed, size or appearance factors into that definition. 370 originally covered the licensing of pit bull dogs, tracing back to Section 68-38 of the prior code. Ordinance No. " Instead of a breed ban, Elizabeth folds dangerous-dog control into the general vicious- and dangerous-animal rules. 320 to kill a dangerous animal when necessary to protect a person or property, again without reference to breed.
020, and an owner who lets a vicious dog run loose is enforced against under the same at-large and dangerous-animal sections that apply to every other dog in the city.
Violations & Fines
A dog found to meet the behavioral "vicious dog" definition and allowed to run at large violates Section 6.04.290 and is subject to the general Chapter 6.04 enforcement path: seizure and impoundment by the dog warden, and prosecution before the municipal court under the citywide penalty in Section 1.12.010, running $100 to $2,000 per offense. No additional breed-based penalty applies because none exists in the current code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Elizabeth, NJ ban pit bulls or other specific dog breeds?
How does Elizabeth decide if a dog is dangerous?
Did Elizabeth ever regulate pit bulls specifically?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Elizabeth
How Elizabeth compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·Compare Elizabeth to another location·View the New Jersey animal ordinances overview
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