Hackensack, NJ Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 52-1 names lion or tiger cub, cheetah, snake, or other undomesticated animal among the creatures a resident cannot raise, keep, or harbor without first securing a permit from the Health Department, alongside farm animals and live fowl. The permit application, filed on Health Department forms under Section 52-2, must state the kind of animal, where it will be kept, and how it will be housed and cared for, and the application authorizes city officers to inspect the premises before the permit issues and at any time afterward.

Section 52-6 then removes the residential option almost entirely for exotic and wild animals: no animal or fowl on the Section 52-1 list, except chicken hens, may be kept within Residence Districts R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-2A, R-3, or R-3A. Because those six districts cover most of the city's housing stock, a permitted snake, big cat cub, or other undomesticated animal can only be kept legally on property outside those residential zones. Maintenance standards in Section 52-4, including a housing structure set back at least 40 feet from any occupied dwelling and weekly removal of animal waste, apply to exotic animals the same as livestock.

Permits issued under this article can be suspended or revoked as provided in Chapter 107, Article VII, Licenses and Permits, and the permit itself only remains valid while it stays in force, so an exotic animal kept without one is unlawful from day one.