New Jersey law prohibits breed-specific bans. No municipality may declare a dog dangerous based on breed alone; instead, courts declare individual dogs potentially dangerous or vicious under N.J.S.A. 4:19-23 based on their conduct.
New Jersey's Vicious and Dangerous Dogs Act bars breed-based restrictions. Under N.J.S.A. 4:19-23, a municipal court may declare a specific dog potentially dangerous only if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that the dog caused bodily injury in an unprovoked attack, severely injured or killed another domestic animal, or was trained to attack. A dog cannot be declared potentially dangerous if it was provoked. This applies uniformly across Passaic County municipalities; no borough or township may target pit bulls or any other breed. Owners of a declared dangerous dog must comply with confinement, insurance, and signage conditions.
A dog declared potentially dangerous or vicious triggers court-ordered conditions (enclosure, muzzle, liability insurance). Owners face fines and possible euthanasia orders for repeat serious attacks.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Passaic County, NJ
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See how Passaic County's breed restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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