Vineland, NJ Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Vineland City Code Chapter 224, Article III has no breed list: an Animal Control Officer appointed by the Vineland Police Department seizes and impounds a dog under § 224-57 only after reasonable cause that it caused death, serious bodily injury, or engaged in dogfighting or was trained to attack. The Municipal Court then holds a hearing under §§ 224-58 and 224-59, and under § 224-60 declares a dog vicious only on clear and convincing evidence it caused a death or serious bodily injury, subject to a provocation defense; an undeclared, unappealed vicious dog is destroyed humanely.

Section 224-61 sets the lower bar for potentially dangerous: an unprovoked bite causing bodily injury, or a threat to a person or domestic animal, with the same provocation and self-defense exceptions in Subsection B. Once declared potentially dangerous, § 224-62 requires the owner to obtain, at his own expense, a special municipal license and red tag from the Director of Licenses and Inspections, tattoo the registration number on the dog, post a warning sign visible from 50 feet, and build a locked, escape-proof enclosure inside a six-foot fence set back at least three feet; leash and muzzle are required outside the enclosure.

The court may also order liability insurance. Section 224-64 fines an owner up to $1,000 per day of noncompliance, and the Animal Control Officer may seize a noncompliant dog for court-ordered destruction. Registration and the license under § 224-67 cost $700 per dog annually, and the Animal Control Officer inspects the enclosure monthly under § 224-66. Section 224-68 exempts police dogs.