Animal Ordinances in Bayonne, NJ (2026)
9 verified animal ordinances for Bayonne, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
In the City of Bayonne, breeding, keeping or raising farm animals, including chickens, roosters, ducks, geese, turkeys, cows, goats, sheep, swine and horses, is strictly prohibited in every zone of the city under City Code § 21-30, with a narrow grandfather exemption for residents who registered pre-existing birds with the Health Department.
Bayonne Backyard Chicken and Farm Animal Ban
Heavy RestrictionsBayonne City Code § 21-30.A
FARM ANIMALS Are hereby defined to include but not limited to chickens and roosters, ducks, geese, pheasants, turkeys, quail or other fowl, cows, goats, sheep, swine, horses, or cattle and such other animals as are typically raised on farms for domestic use. ... The breeding, keeping, harboring, raising and/or caring of farm animals, as defined herein above, is strictly prohibited within all zo...
Dog Leash Laws
In the City of Bayonne, § 5-3.5 bars letting a dog run unleashed on public streets, parks or buildings, and § 5-3.6 requires any dog on a sidewalk or public place to be leashed on a lead no more than four feet long while accompanied by its owner or keeper. Violators face the Chapter 5 penalty of up to $1,250 or 10 days in jail.
Bayonne Dog Leash and At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsBayonne City Code §§ 5-3.5, 5-3.6, 5-17
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog shall suffer or permit it to run unleashed upon the public streets or in any public park, public building or other public place within the City. ... No person owning, keeping or harboring a dog shall suffer or permit it to be upon the sidewalk, public street, or in any of the public places of the City unless the dog is accompanied by its owner or k...
Breed Restrictions
The City of Bayonne has no breed-specific ban; instead §§ 5-1 and 5-5 create a behavior-based vicious dog process. A dog is only 'vicious' once a municipal judge so declares it after a complaint, investigation and hearing, and any dog so declared must stay muzzled whenever it leaves its owner's property.
Bayonne Vicious Dog Declaration Rules
Significant RestrictionsBayonne City Code §§ 5-1, 5-5.1, 5-5.2, 5-5.3
VICIOUS DOG Shall mean any dog which has been declared by a municipal judge to be a vicious dog which has attacked or bitten any human being, or which habitually attacks other dogs or domestic animals. ... It shall be the duty of the Police Department and the Animal Control Officer to receive and investigate complaints against dogs. If they deem any dog complained of to be a vicious dog, as def...
Wildlife Feeding
City Code § 5-26 bars anyone from feeding birds, rodents or any other non-domesticated wildlife on public streets, sidewalks, parks or public places in the City of Bayonne. The rule falls under Chapter 5's animal control provisions, and violations carry the chapter's general penalty of up to $1,250 or 10 days in jail.
Bayonne Ban on Feeding Wildlife
Significant RestrictionsBayonne City Code §§ 5-17, 5-26
Unless otherwise provided, for violation of any provision of this chapter the minimum penalty, upon conviction of a violation, shall be a minimum fine of $100, not to exceed $1,250, or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 days, or both. ... No person shall feed birds, rodents or any other non-domesticated wildlife on public streets, sidewalks, parks and/or public places.
Cat Rules
Every cat over six months kept in the City of Bayonne needs a license under § 5-11, costing $15 plus $5 more if the cat is not sterilized, renewed by February 1 each year. Feral cat caregivers must separately register each colony with the Health Department and keep cats from roaming unsupervised while sexually intact, per § 5-27.
Bayonne Cat Licensing and Colony Rules
Some RestrictionsBayonne City Code §§ 5-11.1, 5-11.5, 5-17, 5-27.3, 5-27.4
Licenses shall be required for the following cats of licensing age: a. Any cat owned or kept within the City by a resident of the City on the first day of January of any calendar year. ... The person applying for a license shall pay a fee of $15 for each cat and an additional fee of $5 for any cat of reproductive age not sterilized. A duplicate tag shall be issued for a fee of $2. Any cat licen...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
The City of Bayonne does not require owners to sterilize pets outright; instead § 5-2.5 charges an extra $5 licensing fee for any dog of reproductive age that is not sterilized, and § 5-27.3 bars letting a sexually intact domesticated cat roam unsupervised. Feral cats handled through the city's TNR program must be spayed or neutered before release.
Bayonne Sterilization Fee and Cat Roaming Rule
Light RestrictionsBayonne City Code §§ 5-2.5, 5-27.3
The person applying for a license shall pay a fee of $15 for each dog and an additional fee of $5 for any dog of reproductive age not sterilized. ... Not permit a sexually intact (not spayed or neutered) domesticated cat to roam unsupervised;
Microchipping
Bayonne's feral cat colony ordinance requires that, if possible, a licensed veterinarian implant an electronic animal identification device (EAID) in every managed feral cat, with the registered caregiver listed as the EAID contact. The rule sits inside the City's Trap-Neuter-Release program under City Code Chapter 5, Article VIII.
Feral Cat Chip Rule in Bayonne
Light RestrictionsBayonne City Code § 5-27.6
§ 5-27.6. Requirements of Feral Cats. ... c. If possible, an electronic animal identification device (EAID) shall be inserted into the feral cat by a licensed veterinarian, in accordance with professional medical standards. The registered caregiver shall be named the contact for purposes of the EAID.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Bayonne's zoning definitions separate a veterinary hospital from a kennel. Bayonne City Code § 33-2.2 limits a veterinary hospital's boarding to short-term care incidental to treatment, while any premises boarding more than four animals for pay counts as a kennel and needs a separate Chapter 5 license.
Bayonne Veterinary Hospital Boarding Limit
Some RestrictionsBayonne City Code § 33-2.2
KENNEL Shall mean any premises or portion thereof, other than a veterinary hospital, on which more than four dogs, cats, or other domestic animals over six months in age are kept, boarded, bred, or cared for, in return for remuneration, or are kept for the purpose of sale. ... VETERINARY HOSPITAL Shall mean a place where animals are given medical care and the boarding of animals is limited to s...
Bird Protection
In the City of Bayonne, keeping, breeding or raising any species or breed of pigeon is prohibited citywide in all zones under City Code § 21-30.c, with a narrow exception for homing pigeons owned by active members in good standing of a recognized New Jersey Pigeon Club.
Bayonne Pigeon-Keeping Ban
Heavy RestrictionsBayonne City Code § 21-30.c
Pigeons and Other Birds Prohibited; Exception. The keeping, breeding and raising of all species and breeds of pigeons, with the exception of homing pigeons owned by any resident who is an active member in good standing of any recognized New Jersey Pigeon Club, on any property within all zones within the jurisdictional limits of the City of Bayonne is prohibited.