Howell, NJ Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Section 57-12 of the Howell Township Code applies to the owner or other person having custody and control of a dog that has been declared vicious or potentially dangerous by the Municipal Court of the Township of Howell or another New Jersey court of competent jurisdiction, under N.J.S.A. 4:19-17 et seq. That person must comply with any order the court enters under N.J.S.A. 4:19-24. The trigger is the court declaration, not a breed named in the ordinance.

Subsection A ties the owner of a potentially dangerous dog to the duties set out in N.J.S.A. 4:19-28. Subsection B creates the municipal license. The Township Manager, or the official entrusted with issuing dog licenses, issues a potential dangerous dog registration number, a red identification tag and a municipal potentially dangerous dog license once the owner shows the Animal Control Officer of the Township sufficient evidence of compliance with the court order. The last three digits of each registration number are the three-number code assigned to the Township in the regulations promulgated under N.J.S.A. 4:19-33.

Subsection C sets the fee apart from ordinary licensing. Notwithstanding the license fee in § 57-6, the annual potentially dangerous dog license fee and each renewal is the amount in Chapter 139, Fees, which lists it at $700 in § 139-2. Subsection D requires liability insurance in an amount determined by the Municipal Court to cover damage or injury caused by the dog. The policy must name the municipality where the owner resides as an additional insured for the sole purpose of being notified by the insurer of any cancellation, termination or expiration.

The ordinary dog rules in Article II still apply to a declared dog: annual licensing under § 57-4, the six-foot leash rule in § 57-7(F), and the running-at-large rule in § 57-7(A).