Animal Ordinances in Bergenfield, NJ (2026)
13 verified animal ordinances for Bergenfield, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Bergenfield's Sanitary Code makes it unlawful for any property owner or occupant to keep farm animals anywhere in the Borough, naming chickens, roosters and other fowl, cud-chewing or hoofed animals, and pigs specifically, even when the animals are kept as pets rather than for food or farming.
Bergenfield Bans Backyard Chickens And Livestock
Heavy RestrictionsBergenfield Borough Code § 344-44A
Prohibition of farm animals. It shall be unlawful for the owner or occupant of any premises to keep any farm animals including but not limited to cud-chewing or hoofed animals, chickens, roosters and other fowl and pigs (including those bred as pets) in the Borough.
Dog Leash Laws
Bergenfield bans dogs running at large on any public street, park, building, or private property, and separately requires any dog in a public place to be on a leash no longer than six feet, held by someone at least 12 years old. A fenced dog park near dawn and dusk is the only carve-out.
Bergenfield Requires a Six-Foot Leash on Dogs
Some RestrictionsBergenfield Borough Code §§ 95-8D and 95-8E
Running at large. No person owning, keeping, harboring, or in charge of any dog shall allow it to run at large upon the public streets, in any public park, in any public building, and/or on any private property within the Borough with the exception of any park wherein owners with their dogs may enter between dawn and dusk to access the dog park with their dog leashed at all times while outside ...
Breed Restrictions
Bergenfield has no breed-specific ban; Section 95-6 lets the Municipal Court declare an individual dog "potentially dangerous" or "vicious" only after a hearing on that dog's own conduct, such as an unprovoked attack causing injury or death. Once declared, the owner faces a locked enclosure, warning signage, a special license, and possible euthanasia for a vicious dog.
Bergenfield's Dangerous-Dog Law Is Behavior-Based
Significant RestrictionsBergenfield Borough Code §§ 95-6B(1) and 95-6C(1)
The municipal court shall declare a dog to be potentially dangerous if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that the dog: (a) Caused bodily injury to a person during an unprovoked attack, and poses a serious threat of bodily injury or death to a person; ... The municipal court shall declare the dog vicious if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that the dog killed a person or caused ...
Beekeeping
Bergenfield permits residential beekeeping but caps every property at five hives under § 344-44R of the animal control code, and requires hives to be positioned so the bees' flight pattern causes the least disturbance to neighboring properties.
Bergenfield Backyard Beekeeping Hive Limit
Some RestrictionsBergenfield Borough Code § 344-44R
Keeping of honey bees. ... There shall be a limit of five hives per property. ... Hives shall be situated on the property so that the flight pattern of the bees provides the least disturbance to adjoining property owners.
Exotic Pets
Bergenfield bars keeping wildlife native to New Jersey as a pet unless the keeper is a state-licensed wildlife rehabilitator, and lets the Board of Health impose special conditions on anyone licensed by the DEP to keep dangerous exotic wildlife. Rehabilitators themselves cannot handle bears, wolves, mountain lions, bobcats, foxes, coyotes or any bird species in Bergenfield.
Bergenfield Restricts Exotic And Wild Animal Pets
Significant RestrictionsBergenfield Borough Code §§ 344-44K, N and 344-45C
Prohibition on native wildlife as pets. The keeping of wildlife native to the State of New Jersey is prohibited excluding those persons who are licensed as wildlife rehabilitators by the New Jersey Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Game. ... Exotic wildlife rehabilitation is prohibited in the Borough of Bergenfield Native species which are prohibited include hoofed mammals, bears, wolves, mount...
Wildlife Feeding
Bergenfield bans feeding migratory waterfowl in Cooper Pond Park outright and separately bars feeding any wild animal on Borough-owned or Borough-operated property, from parks to municipal buildings. Confined animals at a zoo or education center are the only exception, and officers can order feeding stopped on the spot.
Bergenfield Bans Feeding Wildlife on Borough Land
Some RestrictionsBergenfield Borough Code §§ 95-18 and 95-27A
It shall be unlawful for any person to feed any migratory waterfowl in Cooper Pond Park in the Borough of Bergenfield. ... No person shall feed, in any public park or on any other property owned or operated by the Borough of Bergenfield, any wildlife, excluding confined wildlife (for example, wildlife confined in zoos, parks or rehabilitation centers, or unconfined wildlife at environmental edu...
Pet Limits
Bergenfield bars keeping more than six cats at one time in any home or business, though licensed pet shops, kennels, shelters, and pounds are exempt. An owner who wants more can apply to the Borough Clerk for a one-year special permit after a Board of Health inspection.
Bergenfield Caps Cats at Six Per Household
Some RestrictionsBergenfield Borough Code § 95-15
It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to keep, maintain or harbor at any one time in any business establishment or residential housing unit or on its grounds more than six cats. This restriction shall not apply to properly licensed pet shops, kennels, shelters and pounds. ... Any person who desires to own more than six cats may obtain a special permit from the Borough Clerk. The specia...
Cat Rules
Every cat over six months old in Bergenfield must be vaccinated against rabies and licensed with the Borough Clerk, with the license displayed on a tag or sleeve on the cat's collar. Licenses run $8 to $11 depending on whether the cat is altered and expire every September 30.
Bergenfield Requires Cat Licenses and Rabies Shots
Some RestrictionsBergenfield Borough Code §§ 95-12A and 95-13A
Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat over six months of age within the Borough of Bergenfield unless such cat is vaccinated and licensed. ... Cats must have license number displayed. Any person who shall own, keep, or harbor a cat of licensing age shall annually apply for and procure from the Borough Clerk, or other official designated by t...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Bergenfield does not require dog owners to spay or neuter their pets. Its dog-licensing ordinance instead uses a fee incentive: an altered dog's registration tag costs a dollar, while every license issued for an unaltered dog carries a mandatory $3 state-required surcharge on top of the base fee.
Bergenfield Has No Mandatory Spay-Neuter Rule
Few RestrictionsBergenfield Borough Code § 95-2C
Fee. The person applying for the license and registration tag shall pay $7 for each dog and $1 for the registration tag for each dog where the owner produces proof that said dog has been spayed and neutered. There shall be in conformance with P.L. 1983, c. 181, a surcharge of $3 on all licenses issued for nonspayed and nonneutered dogs.
Pet Store Rules
Bergenfield does not ban pet shops from selling dogs or cats and has no adoption-only mandate. Chapter 95 instead requires any kennel, pet shop, shelter, or pound to hold a Borough license, pass a Health Officer sign-off on its premises, and pay an annual fee, currently $10 for a pet shop.
Bergenfield Regulates, Doesn't Ban, Pet Shops
Some RestrictionsBergenfield Borough Code §§ 95-3A and 95-3D
License required. Any person who keeps or operates or proposes to establish a kennel, a pet shop, a shelter or a pound shall apply to the Borough Clerk for a license entitling him to keep or operate such establishment. ... License fees. Annual license fees for kennels and pet shops shall be as follows: ( ... 3) Pet shops: $10.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Veterinarians in Bergenfield are a conditional use under Borough Code § 186-78: every activity must stay inside an enclosed building, a Board of Health permit is required before opening, and the site must meet Chapter 186's parking, buffer strip and sign standards along with any other rule for that zone.
Bergenfield Veterinary Clinic Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsBergenfield Borough Code § 186-78
§ 186-78. Veterinarians. Veterinarians shall be subject to the following: A. All activities must be contained within an enclosed building. B. A permit for the use shall be obtained from the Board of Health of the Borough of Bergenfield. C. Off-street parking facilities, buffer strips and all signs shall conform to the provisions of §§ 186- 44, 186-48 and 186-49 of this chapter. D. All other req...
Bird Protection
Bergenfield's animal control code bans feeding birds by scattering food on the ground and requires any bird feeder to sit at least five feet off the ground, be spill-resistant or fitted with a spill tray, and resist raiding by rats and squirrels. Keeping pigeons in outdoor cages or coops, for any purpose, is separately outlawed borough-wide.
Bergenfield Rules On Feeding Birds And Pigeons
Significant RestrictionsBergenfield Borough Code § 344-44C, D
It shall be unlawful to feed birds by placing food directly on the ground. ... Birds must be fed in bird feeders, and feeders must be at least five feet off the ground, must have a spill tray or be spill resistant, and must be constructed to be resistant to the feeding of rats, squirrels, and other nontarget species. ... Keeping of pigeons. It shall be unlawful for anyone to keep pigeons as pet...
Wildlife Rescue Permits
Anyone caring for injured or orphaned wildlife in Bergenfield must hold a current New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection wildlife rehabilitator license and register with the Bergenfield Health Department before taking in animals. The Sanitary Code bars rehabilitating bears, wolves, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, hoofed mammals or any bird species, and sets strict cage-siting and inspection rules.
Bergenfield Wildlife Rehabilitator License Rules
Significant RestrictionsBergenfield Borough Code § 344-45
§ 344-45. Wildlife rehabilitators. Wildlife rehabilitators must be currently licensed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and must comply with the latest version of "Minimum Standards for Wildlife Rehabilitation" published by the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association and the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. ... C. Exotic wildlife rehabilitation is prohi...
Looking for Bergen County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Bergenfield city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Bergen County →