Bergenfield, NJ Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Rescue Permits (2026)

Bergenfield's Sanitary Code, Chapter 344, Article VII, regulates wildlife rehabilitation under Section 344-45. A rehabilitator must already hold a current license from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and follow the latest edition of the Minimum Standards for Wildlife Rehabilitation published jointly by the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association and the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. Before taking in any animal, the rehabilitator must also register with the Bergenfield Health Department for approval, and the department subjects every registered rehabilitator to at least one sanitary inspection per year, conducted by the Health Officer or a registered environmental health specialist.

The ordinance draws a hard line on species. Exotic wildlife rehabilitation is barred outright, and the code names the excluded native species specifically: hoofed mammals, bears, wolves, mountain lions, bobcats, foxes and coyotes, plus any other species the Board of Health decides poses an unacceptable risk to residents' health and safety. Rehabilitating any bird species at all is prohibited in the Borough, so a Bergenfield rehabilitator may work only with smaller mammals such as squirrels, rabbits or opossums. Where cages are allowed, siting is tightly controlled: they must sit at least five feet from adjoining property lines and at least fifteen feet from a neighboring dwelling's window or door, must go in the rear yard if the property has one, and can never be visible in plain view from a street or sidewalk.

The property must be fenced with a locking gate, or the cages themselves built with secondary wire mesh to prevent an accidental bite. Cages cannot become a health nuisance through odor, flies, rodents or excessive noise.