Clifton, NJ Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Feeding windows
- 8-noon, noon-4pm, 4-8pm daily
- Session cap
- 30 minutes per window
- Requires
- Property owner's permission
- Feeder must
- Stay present the entire window
- Container rule
- Removed after each feeding session
- Penalty
- Fine up to $2,000, or 90 days jail/service
- Enforced by
- Police and Health Department
Summary
Clifton lets residents feed free-roaming and feral cats on private property, but only during three set daily windows and only with the property owner's permission. Section 203-63 caps each feeding at 30 minutes per window and requires the feeder to stay on-site the whole time and remove food and water when it ends.
FEEDING PERIOD: Three four-hour periods each calendar day, the first being from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, the second being from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m., and the third being from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., when a person is permitted to feed free-roaming and feral cats on private property within the City of Clifton. Feeding shall not exceed 30 minutes during each of the three four-hour feeding periods. § 203-63. Prohibited conduct. No person shall feed, cause to be fed or provide food or water for free-roaming cats and feral cats in the City of Clifton on lands either publicly or privately owned, except that the feeding of free-roaming cats and feral cats is permitted on private property within the City of Clifton, provided that the person performing the feeding: A. Has the permission and authorization of the property owner where the feeding is taking place; B. Places the food or water in a container that must be removed at the end of each feeding period; C. Is physically present on the property where the feeding is taking place for the entire feeding period to avoid the feeding of other unconfined wildlife; and D. Only feed during the prescribed feeding periods.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4963532; v64 updated 2026-07-21; through 07-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
Article XI, added in 2017, opens with a finding at Section 203-61 that indiscriminate feeding of free-roaming and feral cats causes a public-health nuisance. , with actual feeding capped at 30 minutes per window; a feral cat is any unsocialized cat born wild or reverted to a wild state, and a free-roaming cat includes any cat that spends part of its time outdoors, owned or not. Section 203-63 bans feeding free-roaming or feral cats on any land, public or private, except that feeding is allowed on private property if the feeder has the property owner's permission, places food or water in a container removed at the end of each period, stays physically present on the property for the entire feeding period to keep other unconfined wildlife from being fed too, and feeds only during the three prescribed windows. Section 203-64 puts Police and Health Department officers in charge of enforcement, with authority to order anyone violating the article to stop feeding immediately.
Violations & Fines
Feeding feral or free-roaming cats on public property, without the landowner's permission, past the 30-minute window, or without staying present the whole time, draws an order to stop immediately under Section 203-64. A conviction carries a fine of up to $2,000, up to 90 days in jail, or up to 90 days of community service under Section 203-65, the steepest penalty among Chapter 203's animal-feeding articles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I feed feral cats in my Clifton backyard?
Can I feed stray cats on a public sidewalk or in a park in Clifton?
What happens if I break Clifton's cat-feeding rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clifton
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