Animal Ordinances in Bloomfield, NJ (2026)
9 verified animal ordinances for Bloomfield, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Bloomfield Township, Essex County, bans keeping chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons and other fowl, as well as swine, goats, cattle, horses and other livestock. Section 586-1 of the Township Code makes it unlawful to keep or maintain any of them on any private or public plot of land or other premises in the township.
Chickens and Livestock Ban in Bloomfield Township, NJ
Heavy RestrictionsBloomfield Township Code § 586-1
It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or maintain swine, goats, cattle, horses, other livestock, or ducks, geese, pigeons, chickens or other fowl within the Township of Bloomfield on any private or public plot of land or other premises.
Dog Leash Laws
In Bloomfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey, a dog or cat off its owner's premises must be on a leash, tether, chain or rope no longer than six feet including the hand grip, held by someone able to control it. A captured animal costs $60 to redeem during shelter hours and $160 after hours.
Bloomfield Township, NJ Dog Leash and Running at Large Rules
Some RestrictionsBloomfield Township Code §§ 134-3, 134-12, 134-21
All persons are prohibited from permitting any animals belonging to them or in their possession to run at large in any of the public streets, parks or other open places in the Township. Service animals, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act,[1] and animals engaged in police, fire, or other government-sanctioned activities are exempt from this provision. ... It shall be unlawful for ...
Breed Restrictions
Bloomfield Township, New Jersey defines a vicious dog or cat by conduct, not breed: an animal that attacked or bit a human or habitually attacks other animals. A judge decides after a hearing, and a declared animal must be securely muzzled and leashed on any street or public place. The shelter cannot limit adoption by breed.
Bloomfield Township, NJ Vicious Dog Declaration and Muzzle Rules
Some RestrictionsBloomfield Township Code §§ 134-13, 134-25
A. Any dog or cat which has attacked or bitten any human being or which habitually attacks other dogs or cats or domestic animals is hereby defined to be a "vicious dog or cat" for the purposes of this section. ... C. No dog or cat which has been so determined to be a vicious dog or cat shall be permitted to run at large or be upon any street or public place in the Township, except while secure...
Exotic Pets
Bloomfield Township, New Jersey prohibits any person from keeping or harboring a hybrid animal, defined as the offspring of a domestic animal and a wolf, coyote, wildcat or other wildlife, plus all later generations. The ban also reaches any animal advertised, registered or represented by its owner as a canine or feline hybrid.
Bloomfield Township, NJ Hybrid Animal Ban
Significant RestrictionsBloomfield Township Code §§ 134-29, 134-30, 134-41
A "hybrid animal" is the result of the breeding of a domestic animal and a wolf, coyote, wildcat or other wildlife, and all subsequent generations of such hybrid, and any animal that is advertised, registered or represented by its owner to be a canine or feline hybrid. ... B. No person shall keep or harbor any dog in the Township except in compliance with the provisions of this article. C. No p...
Wildlife Feeding
Bloomfield Township, New Jersey bans feeding wildlife in any public park or on other Township property, and § 134-27.2(C)(2) makes it unlawful to feed migratory or resident waterfowl or wildlife on any private or public land in the Township. Residential bird feeders are excluded, and a violator is ordered to stop immediately.
Bloomfield Township, NJ Wildlife Feeding Ban
Significant RestrictionsBloomfield Township Code § 134-27.2
(1) No person shall feed, in any public park or on any other property owned or operated by the Township, any wildlife, excluding confined wildlife (for example, wildlife confined in zoos, parks or rehabilitation centers, or unconfined wildlife at environmental education centers, or feral cats as part of an approved trap-neuter-release program). (2) It shall be unlawful for any reason to feed an...
Pet Limits
Bloomfield Township, Essex County, caps every household at five permanently domiciled domestic animals over the age of three months at any one time. Section 586-4 counts cats, dogs and any other animal considered a pet that is housed at the residence for six months or more.
Five-Pet Household Limit in Bloomfield Township, NJ
Some RestrictionsBloomfield Township Code § 586-4
Because of the density of population in the Township of Bloomfield, and the danger to health caused by a large number of permanently domiciled domestic animals in any one household and odors arising therefrom, it is determined that no one household may keep more than five permanently domiciled domestic animals over the age of three months at any one time. For the purpose of this section, "perma...
Cat Rules
In Bloomfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey, every cat of licensing age needs a license and a registration tag or sleeve: $22 if spayed or neutered, $25 if not, expiring June 30. Registered community cats that meet § 134-49 are exempt from the licensing, stray and at-large provisions.
Bloomfield Township, NJ Cat License and Community Cat Rules
Some RestrictionsBloomfield Township Code §§ 134-44, 134-49
A. 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 Department a license and official registration tag with a license number or a registration sleeve for each cat so owned, kept or harbored and shall place upon such cat a collar or other device with the license number securely fastened or displ...
Pet Store Rules
In Bloomfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey, anyone who operates or proposes to establish a pet shop, kennel, shelter or pound, or who breeds animals, must apply to the Health Officer for a license. The pet shop license costs $50 and expires on the last day of January, and the Township Council can refuse a license that would hurt neighborhood peace and quiet.
Bloomfield Township, NJ Pet Shop and Kennel License Rules
Significant RestrictionsBloomfield Township Code § 134-26
A. Any person who keeps or operates or proposes to establish a kennel, a pet shop, a shelter or a pound, or to breed animals, shall apply to the Health Officer for a license entitling them to keep or operate such establishment. ... C. All licenses issued for a kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound shall state the purpose for which the establishment is maintained, and all such licenses shall expire...
Bird Protection
In Bloomfield Township, New Jersey, it is unlawful to hunt, molest, injure, capture or in any way interfere with the freedom of any free, undomesticated bird in any Township park. Section 399-6 of the Township Code gives the same protection to squirrels, fish and other animals that are Township property inside a park, and violations carry the general penalty in § 1-15.
Park Bird Protection Rule in Bloomfield Township, NJ
Some RestrictionsBloomfield Township Code § 399-6
It shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, molest, injure, capture or in any way interfere with the freedom of any bird, being free and undomesticated, in any park in the Township or to hunt, molest, injure, capture or in any way interfere with the freedom of any squirrel, fish or other animal, being the property of the Township, in any such park.
Looking for Essex County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Bloomfield city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Essex County →