West New York, NJ Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 174-8 of the Code of the Town of West New York bars any dog from running at large on a public thoroughfare unaccompanied by its owner or his or her representative. A dog is at large unless it is fastened to a leash or chain securely held by the owner or custodian. The one carve-out is the owner's own premises, where a dog is not deemed at large.

Parks are a separate rule. Except for Seeing Eye or guide dogs, no dog is permitted in any public park or playground owned or operated by the Town or its autonomous bodies, except in areas the Board of Commissioners designates by resolution or ordinance. An owner, resident or not, must display the dog tag on request before a dog enters a designated area. Dog owners sign a release and waiver as part of the application process, accepting all risk and indemnifying the Town, and the section makes owners strictly liable for injuries their dogs cause to other dogs or persons in or about a Town park.

Tags go with the leash rule. Section 174-7 forbids a resident's dog on any public thoroughfare, sidewalk, passageway, bypath, play area or park without a metal tag firmly fastened and worn upon a strap or collar about its neck, and the fee for a dog tag cannot exceed $25. Under § 174-3, license and tag fees are due on the first day of February and expire on the 31st day of January of the following year.

Enforcement starts with seizure. Section 174-9 makes it the duty of any police officer, animal warden, pound keeper or other designated Town employee to seize and impound a dog running at large. The owner can redeem the dog within seven days by proving ownership, presenting a current license from the West New York Department of Health and paying for maintaining and feeding the dog. After seven days the dog can be destroyed, given up for adoption or otherwise disposed of according to law, and a Seeing Eye or guide dog is never impounded.