Skip to main content
CityRuleLookup

Woodbridge, NJ Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Permits needed
state Fish & Wildlife + Township
Township permit fee
$75/year, per § 11-8.1
Poisonous animals
banned outright, no permit
Grace period
90 days for out-of-state license
Public contact rule
unsolicited contact barred

Summary

Keeping an exotic animal in Woodbridge requires two permits, one from the State Division of Fish and Wildlife and one from the Department of Health and Human Services, and the animal can never run loose or contact the public without consent. Bringing any poisonous animal into a public place is banned outright under § 11-8.5, with no permit available at all.

No person shall have or keep on any premises in the Township exotic animals without having obtained a permit from the State Department of Fish and Wildlife. In addition thereto, a permit must be obtained from the Department of Health and Human Services in accordance with Subsection 11-8.1. [...] At no time and under no circumstances can any person bring or cause to be brought into any public place within the Township any poisonous animal of any kind.

Full Breakdown

1 process that governs livestock and fowl permits, inspections and the $75 annual fee. 1. e bars letting it make any unsolicited physical contact, or threaten contact, with another person. 2. 5 goes further for a narrower category, imposing an absolute ban with no permit exception on bringing any poisonous animal of any kind into any public place in the Township, unlike the exotic-animal permit scheme. h if handled lawfully and without creating the contact risk or nuisance the section otherwise forbids.

Violations & Fines

Keeping an exotic animal without both the state Fish and Wildlife permit and the Township Health Department permit, or bringing a poisonous animal into any public place at all, is punishable under § 11-8.7 with the Chapter 1, § 1-5 penalty, and each day the violation continues is a separate offense. The Department can also remove an animal creating a nuisance after the twenty-day cure period in § 11-8.2.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I keep an exotic pet in Woodbridge?
Only with two separate permits. Section 11-8.4.a requires a permit from the State Department of Fish and Wildlife and a second permit from the Township's Department of Health and Human Services, issued under the same inspection process that governs livestock permits in § 11-8.1.
Is it legal to bring a venomous snake to a Woodbridge event?
No. Section 11-8.5 flatly bans bringing any poisonous animal of any kind into any public place in the Township, at no time and under no circumstances, with no permit or exception available, unlike the permit route open to non-poisonous exotic animals.
Does an exotic animal need to be controlled in public in Woodbridge?
Section 11-8.4.d requires it to be accompanied by its owner or another person capable of controlling it whenever it is on a public street or in a public place, and § 11-8.4.e separately bars letting it have any unsolicited contact with another person.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Woodbridge

All Woodbridge rules

Compare Woodbridge to another location·View the New Jersey animal ordinances overview

Get notified when Exotic Pets in Woodbridge, NJ changes

We'll email you the moment we detect a change in the code. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

We'll never sell or share your email. One-click unsubscribe in every email.

See something wrong?

Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.

Exotic Pets in Nearby Cities

How other cities in this county handle exotic pets.

Edison, NJ
Heavy Restrictions