Old Bridge, NJ Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Article IV, adopted in 2020, licenses pet shops, defined as any place other than a kennel where animals are kept or displayed chiefly for sale as companions rather than for business or research. Anyone operating or proposing a pet shop must apply to the Township Clerk for a license, and the application must state the applicant's name and address, the premises' address and description, the shop's purpose, and the maximum number of dogs and cats it will accommodate at once. Section 39-44D restricts sourcing outright: pet shops may sell only dogs and cats bred by USDA-licensed breeders.

Section 39-44E layers on an annual disclosure obligation, requiring the shop to report to the Township Clerk the name, address, e-mail and USDA or state license number of every breeder and broker it purchased from, along with the total dogs and cats sold the prior year, reported to the local health department under N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.8e. No license issues until the Health Officer inspects and finds the premises complies with state and local sanitation and location rules under § 39-44F. Licenses run through June 30 each year and cost $10 annually under §§ 39-44G and H.

The Township Council may suspend or revoke a license for up to 90 days on recommendation of the State or local Health Department for hygiene failures or selling animals the shop knew or should have known were unfit, after a hearing under § 39-44I, and the Health Officer must report all licensed shops to the State Department of Health under § 39-44J. Any dog or cat leaving the premises may do so only on a leash or in a crate or other safe control under § 39-44K.