Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Section 91-3 of the Township Code (Article I, Ord. No. 2003:24, amended by Ord. No. 2005:31) treats a pet shop as a licensed business, not a banned one. Section 91-1 defines a PET SHOP as any place of business, not part of a kennel, where animals, including but not limited to dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, rabbits, hamsters or gerbils, are kept or displayed chiefly for the purpose of sale to individuals for personal appreciation and companionship. Anyone who keeps or operates or proposes to establish one applies to the Township Clerk.

Before any license issues, the applicant must submit a written statement from the Health Officer of the Office of Health that the establishment complies with local and state rules governing location and sanitation (§ 91-3B). Licenses are not transferable to another owner or different premises, state the purpose for which the establishment is maintained, and expire on June 30 of each year (§ 91-3A and C). The annual fees in § 91-3D are $10 for a kennel accommodating 10 or less dogs, $25 for a kennel accommodating more than 10 dogs, $10 for a pet shop, and no fee for a shelter or pound.

A pet shop license holder does not need individual licenses for dogs the licensee owns and keeps at the establishment, while a kennel license holder does (§ 91-3A). The Township Clerk cannot issue a kennel license for a kennel in an area zoned residential under Chapter 430. Under § 91-3E the Council can revoke a kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound license on recommendation of the State Department of Health and Senior Services or the Office of Health for failure to follow their rules, after a hearing as set forth in N.J.S.A.

4:14-15.8, and every licensee must comply with all Township ordinances and the state sanitation rules. Under § 91-3F no dog kept in a pet shop can be off the premises except on a leash, in a crate or under other safe control. Nothing in § 91-3 bans or limits the retail sale of dogs or cats.