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

Section 5-5's regulations open with a blanket rule: no person may own, keep or harbor a dog in the Township except in compliance with the article, and subsection e specifically forbids letting a dog run at large on public streets or in any public park, public building or other public place. Subsection f goes further for dogs that are out in public but under some control, requiring that any dog on a public street or in a public place be accompanied by a person over the age of 12 and be securely confined and controlled by an adequate leash of no more than six feet.

Both provisions apply regardless of whether the dog is licensed, since licensing is addressed separately in Section 5-2. The leash and at-large rules are enforced by the Animal Control Officer, and an officer who finds a dog running at large or off its owner's premises without a current registration tag can impound it under Section 5-9.1. Reclaiming an impounded or boarded dog is not free: Section 5-9.5 charges the owner $50 for every day the Township holds the dog, on top of whatever fine a Municipal Court imposes for the underlying leash or at-large violation.