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

Piscataway does not operate a retail sale ban or an adoption-only ordinance for pet shops; instead, Section 5-11 regulates any kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound through licensing. Section 5-11.1 requires anyone who keeps, operates or proposes to establish such an establishment to apply to the Township Clerk for a license and to obtain a zoning permit approval from the Department of Community Development. Section 5-11.4 requires the license to state the purpose the establishment serves, and every license expires on the last day of January each year, regardless of when during the year it was issued.

Section 5-11.5 sets the annual fees: $10 for a kennel housing 10 or fewer dogs, $25 for a kennel housing more than 10, $10 for a pet shop, and no fee for an animal rescue, shelter or pound. Once an establishment is licensed, Section 5-11.8 still controls how its animals move through the Township: no dog kept in a kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound may leave the premises unless it is on a leash, in a crate, or under some other safe control, closing the gap between the shop's own enclosure and the leash law that applies to every other dog owner in Piscataway.