Freehold Township, NJ Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Section 79-3 of Chapter 79, Animals, requires anyone operating or proposing to establish a kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound in Freehold Township to apply to the Health Department for a license before opening, separate from the individual dog licenses required of ordinary owners under § 79-2. The application must give the applicant's address, the establishment's location and general description, its purpose, and the maximum number of dogs it will house at one time. No license issues until the Health Officer inspects the premises and posts a satisfactory finding of compliance with local and state sanitation and location rules under § 79-3D.

Added by Ord. No. O-15-13 in 2015, § 79-3C layers a source-disclosure duty onto pet shops specifically: each pet shop must report to the Township Clerk, from the prior year of operation, the name, address, e-mail and USDA license number of every breeder or broker it purchased an animal from, whether or not that animal was ultimately offered for sale, plus the breeder's or broker's state license number where one is required, and the total number of animals tied to each breeder and broker. That reporting duty does not apply to a pet shop's initial license application, only to renewals.

Licenses expire every January 31 under § 79-3E, with fees set under Chapter 150, Fees, and the Township Committee can revoke a license on recommendation of the State Department of Health or the local Board of Health for noncompliance with state sanitation and disease-prevention rules, after a hearing. Any dog kept at a licensed kennel, pet shop, pound or shelter may only leave the premises on a leash or in a crate or other safe control under § 79-3I.