Animal Ordinances in Edison, NJ (2026)
9 verified animal ordinances for Edison, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Edison Township lets residents keep cattle, horses, sheep and goats only with Zoning and Health Officer-approved licenses, and bans pasturing them within 150 feet of any dwelling.
Edison Livestock Setback Rules
Significant RestrictionsEdison Township Code § 9-21.14
No cattle shall be pastured within one hundred fifty (150) feet of any dwelling or adjoining property line, or stabled within fifty (50) feet of any dwelling or within ten (10) feet of any property line.
Dog Leash Laws
Edison Township bans dogs running at large at any time and requires any dog off its owner's property to be on a leash no longer than six feet, held by someone capable of controlling it. Unleashed or unsupervised dogs violate Township Code §§ 9-3.1 and 9-3.2, enforced by Animal Control and Police.
Edison Township Dog Leash and At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsEdison Township Code §§ 9-3.1, 9-3.2
§ 9-3.1. Running at Large Prohibited. No dog shall run at large at any time. § 9-3.2. Dogs Off Premises to Be Leashed. Any dog off the premises of the owner shall be accompanied by a person who is capable of controlling it and who has the dog securely confined and controlled by an adequate leash not more than six (6) feet long.
Breed Restrictions
Edison Township has no breed-specific dog ban. Instead, the Division of Health or a licensed veterinarian can declare any dog vicious after examining its history, forcing the owner to surrender it for destruction.
Edison Dangerous Dog Declaration Rules
Significant RestrictionsEdison Township Code § 9-4.1
A dog or other animal which the Division of Health or a licensed veterinarian finds, upon examination or consideration of its history, to be vicious shall be surrendered to the Division by the person who owns, possesses or controls it, and the animal shall be destroyed by the Division. b. A dog or other animal which has bitten a person or various persons on three (3) separate occasions withi...
Exotic Pets
Edison Township bars keeping any wild, ferocious, or dangerous mammal or reptile species outside licensed zoos, labs, or exhibitions.
Edison Bans Wild Animals as Pets
Heavy RestrictionsEdison Township Code § 9-24.5.b
No person shall keep an animal of a mammal or reptile species which is wild, ferocious, fierce, dangerous or naturally inclined to do harm in any place other than: (a) A zoological park or aquarium; (b) An approved laboratory; (c) A circus, sideshow or other place of public exhibition or amusement, an educational or scientific institution or an establishment of a commercial dealer in a...
Wildlife Feeding
Edison Township bars anyone from feeding unconfined wildlife in any public park or on any other Township-owned or -operated property. The rule excludes confined animals at zoos or rehab centers and feral cats in an approved trap-neuter-release program, and carries a fine of up to $2,000.
Edison Bans Feeding Wildlife in Public Parks
Some RestrictionsEdison Township Code § 34-5.3
FEED: Means to give, place, expose, deposit, distribute or scatter any edible material with the intention of feeding, attracting or enticing wildlife. Feeding does not include baiting in the legal taking of fish and/or game. WILDLIFE: Means all animals that are neither human nor domesticated. Prohibited Conduct: No person shall feed, in any public park or on any other property owned or operated...
Pet Limits
Edison Township caps the number of cats at five per single-dwelling unit under § 9-11.1; the Animals chapter sets no equivalent numeric cap on dogs, so the five-cat limit is the Code's only per-household pet-count ceiling.
Edison Caps Cats at Five Per Household
Some RestrictionsEdison Township Code § 9-11.1
§ 9-11.1. Limitation of Cats Per Dwelling Unit. No more than five (5) cats may be harbored or maintained within any single-dwelling unit by any owner or owners.
Cat Rules
Every cat seven months or older kept in Edison Township must be vaccinated against rabies and licensed annually between January 1 and January 31, per § 9-8.5, and the license is not transferable to a new owner. Cats may not run at large, and abandoning a cat anywhere in the Township is a separate violation.
Edison Township Cat Licensing and At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsEdison Township Code § 9-8.5
§ 9-8.5. License Required; Not Transferable. Any person who owns, keeps, harbors or maintains a cat of licensing age must apply and procure annually from the licensing authority a license and official registration tag with license number for each cat so owned, kept, harbored or maintained. Licenses and registration tags shall not be transferable.
Pet Store Rules
Edison requires a Division of Health license to operate any pet shop or kennel; the code doesn't mandate adoption-only sourcing or ban retail dog and cat sales outright.
Edison Pet Shop Licensing Rule
Some RestrictionsEdison Township Code § 9-16.1
No person shall operate a kennel or pet shop without a license issued by the Division of Health.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Edison Township treats dog kennels and veterinarian's clinics as a conditional use in the G-B and G-BH General Business Districts, requiring a 20,000-square-foot lot, a 25-foot dog-run setback, and no animals left outdoors overnight.
Edison Requires 20,000-SF Lot for Vet Clinics
Significant RestrictionsEdison Township Code § 37-21.5.b.1
Dog kennel and veterinarian's clinic. (a) Such use shall be located on a minimum lot area of not less than twenty thousand (20,000) square feet. (b) No outdoor dog run shall be located within twenty-five (25) feet of a lot line, no animals at the site shall be kept out of doors from dusk to dawn; 2. Drive-in restaurant, provided that: (a) No such use shall be located on a lot of les...