Freehold Township, NJ Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Section 79-2 of Chapter 79, Animals, Article I, Dogs, adopted in 1960 and amended through Ord. No. O-98-31, sets Freehold Township's dog and cat licensing rules, and Subsection D caps ownership at five dogs or cats, or a combination of both, per person, with the only exceptions being a duly licensed kennel, pet shop, pound or shelter under § 79-3. Every dog kept in the Township must otherwise be individually licensed: applications are due before February 1 each year, or within 10 days for a newly acquired dog, and within 90 days for a dog already licensed by another state, and must state the dog's breed, sex, age, color and rabies vaccination date, recorded by registration number by the Township Clerk under § 79-2E.

License fees follow Chapter 150, Fees, but are reduced for a spayed or neutered dog and waived entirely for guide, service and hearing dogs. Licenses run to January 31 each year, or to the end of a three-year term if a three-year license was issued. Rabies vaccination is a separate, mandatory precondition to licensing under § 79-10: no dog over six months old may be kept unless vaccinated, and the license cannot issue without a veterinarian's certificate on file with the Health Department. Anyone keeping more than five dogs or cats without qualifying as a licensed kennel, pet shop, pound or shelter is out of compliance with § 79-2D regardless of whether each individual animal is separately licensed and vaccinated.