The City of New Brunswick regulates dogs through Municipal Code Chapters 6.04 (Dog Licensing) and 6.08 (Dogs), which together require licensing of every dog of licensing age and authorize the impoundment of dogs running at large within the City. The Division of Animal Control, operated by the New Brunswick Health Department in coordination with the New Brunswick Police Department, enforces the local code together with New Jersey state law at N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.1 et seq. Under the state statute, certified animal control officers may impound any dog found off the owner's premises that is reasonably believed to be a stray or that lacks a current registration tag, which is the practical mechanism behind New Brunswick's leash and at-large rules.
New Brunswick's animal regulations are codified in Title 6 (Animals) of the City's Municipal Code. The City of New Brunswick Division of Animal Control states on its official page that it 'licenses all pets and exotic animals kept in the City of New Brunswick in accordance with Municipal Codes 6.04 and 6.08.' Chapter 6.04 governs dog licensing - the annual issuance of a numbered metal registration tag that must be worn on the dog's collar - and Chapter 6.08 covers the substantive control requirements applied to dogs within the City limits, including restrictions on dogs running at large and authority for impoundment. New Jersey state law backstops these local rules. N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.1 defines a 'dog of licensing age' as any dog that has reached seven months or has a permanent set of teeth, and N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.2 requires the owner to apply to the Municipal Clerk for a license and metal registration tag. N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.16 authorizes any certified animal control officer or other authorized person to take into custody and impound 'any dog off the premises of the owner or of the person charged with the care of the dog, which is reasonably believed to be a stray dog,' and 'any dog off the premises of the owner or the person charged with the care of the dog without a current registration tag on its collar or elsewhere.' All Animal Control calls in New Brunswick - including a dog-at-large or off-leash complaint - go to New Brunswick Police Dispatch at (732) 745-5200; non-emergency questions go to aco@nbpdnj.org. License applications are returned to the New Brunswick Health Department, Division of Animal Control, P.O. Box 269, New Brunswick NJ 08903-0269. Because Title 6 covers the substantive on-leash and confinement rules, residents should consult the current published version of Chapter 6.08 in New Brunswick's Municipal Code (hosted on the Municode Library) for the exact permitted activities and any exceptions before relying on a particular leash length or off-leash use.
Enforcement is by the City Division of Animal Control, the New Brunswick Health Department, and the New Brunswick Police Department, who route all calls through Police Dispatch at (732) 745-5200. Dogs taken into custody under N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.16 are held at a designated impound facility; an owner must produce proof of current rabies vaccination and a valid New Brunswick license, and pay impound and boarding charges, before redemption. Under the parallel state penalty provision at N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.19, a person who violates or refuses to comply with the listed sections of the State dog law (which include licensing and registration tag requirements) is liable to a penalty of 'not less than $5.00 nor more than $50 for each offense,' recoverable in the local municipal court; the city's local Title 6 chapter sets its own penalty schedule for at-large and leash violations, which applies in addition to any state-law penalty. Repeat violations or any case involving a dog that has bitten or that local authorities seek to declare 'potentially dangerous' are processed under the separate state procedures at N.J.S.A. 4:19-17 et seq. (potentially dangerous and vicious dog declarations), which can result in registration as a potentially dangerous dog, mandatory enclosure, leash and muzzle requirements, and significantly higher penalties.
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