Old Bridge, NJ Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 39-12 combines a nuisance-barking rule with the at-large leash requirement. No dog may be permitted to habitually bark or cry so as to annoy a neighbor or other resident, and no dog may be on a public street or on private property other than its own owner's, or property where the owner has given permission, unless it is accompanied by a person over 12 years old and confined and controlled by a leash no longer than six feet. The section carves out an exemption for the Township's farming and hunting areas, where the leashing-and-attendance rule does not apply.

Enforcement flows through Chapter 39's broader dog-control machinery: the Animal Control Officer, hired by the Township Administrator under § 39-16, has full authority to take into custody any dog found at large in violation of the article, and § 39-15 lets the Chief of Police or a designated official impound a stray or unattended dog believed uncared for. An impounded stray becomes the property of the Old Bridge Animal Shelter after seven days if unclaimed, and § 39-15C bars releasing any impounded dog, whether to its owner or for adoption, without proof of a current license under § 39-7.

Section 39-13 separately makes an owner liable for any damage the dog causes to another's lawn, shrubbery or property while off its own premises. Chapter 300, Noise, is cross-referenced for barking complaints that go beyond § 39-12's habitual-annoyance standard.