Bergenfield, NJ Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Section 95-15 of the Borough Code, in Chapter 95's cat article, makes it unlawful for any person to keep, maintain, or harbor at any one time in any business establishment or residential housing unit or on its grounds more than six cats, a cap that applies per household or property rather than per person. The restriction does not reach properly licensed pet shops, kennels, shelters, or pounds operating under Section 95-3. An owner who wants to keep more than six may apply to the Borough Clerk for a special permit, valid for one year and renewable only after a fresh inspection; the Bergenfield Board of Health must find, after inspecting the premises, that the cats are not creating a nuisance, that waste disposal is adequate, and that there is no hazard to public safety, health, or welfare before the permit issues.

The ordinance also has a one-way ratchet built in: if a household already at the six-cat limit loses an animal to death, sale, or giving it away, Section 95-15B bars replacing that cat as long as six or more remain in the home, so a permitted household can shrink toward the cap but the Clerk will not let it refill back up to six while over the base limit. Bergenfield's Code does not set a numeric cap on dogs; Chapter 95's dog article, Article I, regulates licensing, leashing, and dangerous-dog procedures but never limits how many dogs one household may keep.