Linden, NJ Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

New Jersey law bars municipalities from regulating dogs by breed, and Linden's ordinance follows that model: Section 5-3, Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dogs, adopted in its current form by Ordinance No. L. A. ), with no breed criterion anywhere in the definitions. 4, the municipal court declares a dog vicious only if clear and convincing evidence shows the dog killed a person or caused that person serious bodily injury, and a dog cannot be declared vicious if it was provoked, with the City bearing the burden to prove otherwise.

2 lets the Animal Control Officer seize and impound a dog on reasonable cause that it caused death or serious bodily injury in an unprovoked attack, engaged in dog fighting, or was trained to attack. 6: a $700 annual special license fee, a tattooed registration number, a warning sign visible from 50 feet, and a secure enclosure with sides, top and bottom and a fence at least six feet high, plus muzzling and a tether limiting movement to a three-foot radius whenever the dog leaves the enclosure.

9 makes a violation by the owner, or failure to comply with a court order, subject to a fine of up to $1,000 per day, with each day a separate violation, and the municipal court can order the dog seized, impounded, or in the case of a vicious-dog finding, humanely euthanized.