Howell, NJ Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

Howell Township defines a pet grooming establishment in § 57-3 as any place of business which is not part of a kennel, where domesticated animals, such as dogs and cats, are bathed, brushed, clipped, or styled. A shop that fits that definition falls under § 57-5, which sits in Article II, Domestic Animals, of Chapter 57 and was last amended on April 16, 2024 by Ord. No. 24-10.

Section 57-5(A) requires any person who keeps or operates, or proposes to establish, a pet grooming establishment to apply to the Township Clerk for a license. Under § 57-5(B) the application must describe the premises where the establishment is located or is proposed to be located and the purposes for which it will be maintained. It must be accompanied by the written approval of the Health Officer of the Township showing compliance with Township and state rules governing location and sanitation. The Health Officer approval travels with the application, so the sanitation review happens before the Clerk receives the filing.

The fee is not printed in Chapter 57. Section 57-6 sends applicants to Chapter 139, Fees, and § 139-2(M) lists the pet grooming establishment fee at $75, added by the same April 16, 2024 ordinance. Kennels, pet shops and dog training facilities are listed at their own amounts in that section.

Section 57-5(D) says a license holder does not have to buy individual dog licenses for dogs the licensee owns and keeps at the establishment, and the license cannot be transferred to another owner or different premises. Section 57-5(F) adds a handling rule: no dog kept in a pet grooming establishment can be taken off the premises except on leash or in a crate or other safe control. The subsection that sets the January 31 expiry and the Board of Health revocation hearing names only kennels, pet shops, shelters and pounds, so the Code text does not print a renewal date for grooming licenses.

Section 57-10 carves out veterinary practices: nothing in the article applies to an establishment where dogs are received or kept for diagnostic, medical, surgical or other treatments, owned by and operated under the immediate supervision of a graduate veterinarian licensed in the State of New Jersey.