Animal Ordinances in Clifton, NJ (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Clifton, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Clifton allows chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons and other fowl only with an annual $125 Health Department license, and caps most properties at five fowl. Roosters may not crow, swine, goats and sheep need the same license plus a 50-foot neighbor setback, and slaughtering any of these animals in the City is banned outright.
Clifton Backyard Chicken and Fowl Licensing Rules
Some RestrictionsClifton Code §§ 203-44, 203-47
§ 203-44. Keeping of animals and fowl. A. No swine, goats, sheep, rabbits, ducks, geese, pigeons, chickens or other fowl shall be kept or maintained within the City of Clifton without first obtaining a license from the Clifton Health Department, which will only be issued upon compliance with all other provisions of this article. B. It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or maintain a crowi...
Dog Leash Laws
Clifton bars owners from letting any dog, licensed or not, run at large on city streets, public places, or someone else's property. The rule applies citywide and carries real fines plus impoundment, not a token warning.
Clifton NJ Dog Leash and At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsClifton Code § 203-10
No person shall suffer any licensed or unlicensed dog to run at large upon any of the streets or public places of the City or upon the property of any other person.
Breed Restrictions
Clifton does not regulate dogs by breed. The City repealed its Pit Bull ordinance in 2000 and now judges dogs by conduct: Municipal Court can declare an individual dog vicious or potentially dangerous under Chapter 203, Article V, which then triggers strict confinement, insurance and registration duties for the owner.
Clifton's Vicious and Dangerous Dog Rules
Significant RestrictionsClifton Code §§ 203-36, 203-37
§ 203-36. Declaration of vicious dog. A. The Municipal Court shall declare the dog vicious if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that the dog: (1) Killed a person or caused serious bodily injury as defined in N.J.S.A. 2C:11-1b to a person; or (2) Has engaged in dog fighting activities as described in N.J.S.A. 4:22-24 and N.J.S.A. 4:22-26. ... § 203-37. Declaration of potentially dangerou...
Wildlife Feeding
Clifton bars feeding wild water fowl, swans, geese, brant and ducks, anywhere in the City, public or private land alike. A separate rule bars feeding any other unconfined wildlife on City-owned property such as parks, though zoo, rehab-center and education-center animals are exempt from that second ban.
Clifton Bans Feeding Wild Fowl and Other Wildlife
Significant RestrictionsClifton Code §§ 203-40, 203-53
§ 203-40. Feeding of wild water fowl prohibited. No person shall feed, cause to be fed or provide food for wild water fowl in the City of Clifton on lands either publicly or privately owned. ... § 203-53. Prohibited conduct. No person shall feed, in any public park or on any other property owned or operated by the City of Clifton, any wildlife, excluding confined wildlife (for example, wildlife...
Cat Rules
Clifton lets residents feed free-roaming and feral cats on private property, but only during three set daily windows and only with the property owner's permission. Section 203-63 caps each feeding at 30 minutes per window and requires the feeder to stay on-site the whole time and remove food and water when it ends.
Clifton Feral and Free-Roaming Cat Feeding Rules
Some RestrictionsClifton Code §§ 203-62, 203-63
FEEDING PERIOD: Three four-hour periods each calendar day, the first being from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, the second being from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m., and the third being from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., when a person is permitted to feed free-roaming and feral cats on private property within the City of Clifton. Feeding shall not exceed 30 minutes during each of the three four-hour feeding period...
Pet Store Rules
Clifton pet shops may not sell or offer for sale a dog or cat under a puppy-mill ordinance the City Council adopted in October 2022. Shops may still offer dogs and cats for adoption if the animal came from a shelter, pound, or licensed animal-rescue organization, keeping puppy and kitten sales out of storefronts entirely.
Clifton Bans Retail Pet-Shop Sales of Dogs and Cats
Heavy RestrictionsClifton Code § 203-26.1
§ 203-26.1. Restriction on the sale of animals. [Added 10-18-2022 by Ord. No. 7773-22] A. Not pet shop in the City of Clifton shall sell or offer for sale a dog or cat. B. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a pet shop from offering for adoption a dog or cat that has been obtained from a shelter, pound, animal rescue organization or animal rescue organization facility. C. Any...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Clifton's zoning code lists an animal hospital as a permitted limited-manufacturing use in the Planned Mixed Use (P-MU) District and as a permitted use in the M-2 Industrial District on lots with direct access to a four-lane divided highway. Dog pounds and kennels are specifically prohibited in the P-MU District.
Clifton Zoning for Animal Hospitals
Some RestrictionsClifton Code § 461-13.1X(1)(a)[15], X(3)(l); § 461-13.1N(1)(b)[4]
X. Uses in the P-MU District. (1) The following uses are permitted in the P-MU District: (a) Limited manufacturing uses, including the manufacture, compounding, processing, packaging or treatment involved in the following operations or in processing the following products: ... [14] Research and laboratory facilities. [15] Animal hospital. [16] Repair and machine shops without limit as to size. ...
Bird Protection
Clifton's parks ordinance makes it unlawful to hunt, molest, kill, wound, trap, shoot, pursue or capture any animal, reptile or bird found in a City park, or to disturb its habitat. Buying, selling or keeping any bird, animal, reptile or eggs taken this way is barred too, unless state or federal fish and game law permits it.
Clifton Bans Harming Birds in City Parks
Heavy RestrictionsClifton Code § 351-2A(8)
Hunt, molest, kill, wound, trap, abuse, shoot, pursue or throw missiles at, remove or have in his possession any animal, reptile or bird found within a City park nor disturb its habitat within a City park; or knowingly buy, receive, have in his possession, sell or give away any such animal, reptile, bird or eggs so taken, except as may be specifically provided for and being in accordance with s...
Looking for Passaic County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Clifton city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Passaic County →