Hackensack, NJ Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Hackensack regulates dogs under Chapter 52 of the City Code, which requires that no dog run upon any public street, public park, public building, or other public place within the City unless the dog is muzzled or controlled by an adequate leash. Owners or custodians may not knowingly or negligently permit a dog to commit any nuisance upon any sidewalk, public street, thoroughfare, crosswalk, public building, park, or playground, and must prevent damage to lawns, shrubbery, flowers, grounds, or property. Every dog seven months of age or older, or possessing a permanent set of teeth, must be licensed annually through the City Clerk; a metal registration tag must be securely fastened to a collar or harness worn at all times under N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.2. State law N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.1 establishes the licensing baseline and authorizes municipalities to require leashes and to seize dogs running at large. New Jersey N.J.S.A. 23:4-25 separately prohibits dogs running at large in woods or fields where they may pursue wildlife. Vaccination against rabies is required to obtain a Hackensack license under N.J.A.C. 8:23A. Bergen County Animal Shelter in Teterboro provides impound services for Hackensack stray-dog calls. Aggressive or biting dogs trigger New Jersey's Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dog Act, N.J.S.A. 4:19-17 to 4:19-37, administered through Hackensack Municipal Court with mandatory reporting to the Hackensack Health Department.