Elizabeth, NJ Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

410 sets the household ceiling at five, phrased as a limit on the number of dog and/or cat licenses issued rather than a hard cap on animals themselves, since licensing is how the city tracks ownership. A household wanting more than five licenses, or more than five animals total, must file a formal request with the director of health and human services or a designee. The director evaluates three factors written into the ordinance: whether there is proper and adequate shelter and protection for the animals, examining the size and location of the dwelling; whether adding animals would create a nuisance; and whether municipal or state health, building, or zoning codes would be violated by the additional animals.

The section includes a grandfather clause: any household that already held more than five dog or cat licenses before the ordinance's enactment on April 14, 2015 (Ordinance No. 4561, Section 4) is exempt from the new cap and does not need to seek the director's approval to keep its existing animals licensed. 140 rather than the residential household cap. 020's licensing mandate) is a separate violation on top of any household-cap issue.