Linden, NJ Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Section 5-6 of the animal control chapter, adopted by Ordinance No. 62-40, regulates the retail sale of dogs and cats in Linden. 1 defines a "pet shop" as any retail establishment where dogs and cats are sold, exchanged, bartered or offered to the public at retail, expressly excluding an "animal care facility" (a government-run or government-contracted shelter whose mission is rescue and placement) and an "animal rescue organization" (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted in whole or significant part to rescuing and placing animals). 2 then restricts what a pet shop may sell: it may offer for sale only dogs and cats it has obtained from, or displays in cooperation with, an animal care facility or an animal rescue organization, cutting off the commercial breeder-to-retail pipeline associated with high-volume breeding operations.

The same section separately bars any pet shop from selling a dog or cat younger than eight weeks old. 3 backs the sourcing rule with a paper trail: a pet shop must keep records of the animal care facility or rescue organization each animal came from for at least two years, make those records available immediately to the City of Linden Board of Health Department on request, submit them annually by May 1, and display on each cage a label naming the source facility or organization for that animal.