Animal Ordinances in Elizabeth, NJ (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Elizabeth, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Elizabeth bans keeping goats anywhere in the city and bans live swine entirely. Cattle and chickens are allowed but must stay at least 150 feet from any residence other than the keeper's own, under Section 6.04.350.
Elizabeth Backyard Chicken and Livestock Rules
Significant RestrictionsElizabeth City Code § 6.04.350
It is unlawful to keep or have any goats anywhere in, the city, or any cattle or chickens within one hundred fifty (150) feet of any residence other than the residence of the person so keeping or having such animals anywhere in the city.
Dog Leash Laws
Elizabeth bans letting a dog run loose on public streets, in parks, public buildings or any other public place. Section 6.04.270 requires every dog off its owner's property to be controlled by a leash no longer than eight feet.
Elizabeth Dog Leash Law: 8-Foot Limit
Some RestrictionsElizabeth City Code § 6.04.270
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog shall suffer or permit it to run at large upon the public streets or in any public park or in any public building or in any other public place within the city, unless such dog is controlled by an adequate leash not more than eight feet long.
Breed Restrictions
Elizabeth regulates dogs by behavior, not breed. City code defines a "vicious dog" only by what it does, attacking or biting a person or habitually attacking other animals, and in 2016 the city council repealed its old pit bull licensing ordinance outright, leaving no breed-specific rule on the books today.
Elizabeth Has No Breed-Specific Dog Restrictions
Few RestrictionsElizabeth City Code §§ 6.04.010, 6.04.370
"Vicious dog" means any dog which has attacked or bitten any human being or which habitually attacks other dogs or domestic animals. ... Editor's note— Ord. No. 4711, § 1, adopted May 10, 2016, repealed the former section 6.04.370 in its entirety, which pertained to the licensing of pit bull dogs, and derived from the prior code § 68-38.
Exotic Pets
Elizabeth bans letting any dangerous or vicious animal run at large, and requires a police chief's permit before anyone can exhibit or parade an animal that is legally "ferae naturae," meaning wild by nature. Section 6.04.290 governs both rules together.
Elizabeth Wild Animal Exhibition Permit Rule
Significant RestrictionsElizabeth City Code § 6.04.290
It is unlawful to permit any dangerous animal or vicious animal of any kind to run at large within the city; exhibitions or parades of animals which are ferae naturae in the eyes of the law may be conducted only upon securing a permit from the chief of police.
Pet Limits
No Elizabeth household may hold more than five total dog and/or cat licenses. Owners who need more can petition the director of health and human services for an exception based on adequate shelter, nuisance risk and code compliance. Commercial kennels and pet shops are exempt.
Elizabeth Caps Dog/Cat Licenses at Five Per Household
Some RestrictionsElizabeth City Code § 6.04.410
There shall be no more than a total of five (5) dog and/or cat licenses issued to any residential household. Any household seeking to have more than a total of five (5) dog and/or cat licenses, or more than a total of five (5) animals may file a request with the director of health and human services or her/his designee for an exception to that number provided that there is proper and adequate s...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Elizabeth requires every animal adopted from the city shelter to be spayed or neutered within thirty days of adoption by a licensed veterinarian. Animals adopted under four months old get thirty days after reaching four months. Skipping it draws a summons and a minimum $250 fine.
Elizabeth Mandatory Spay/Neuter for Shelter Adoptions
Some RestrictionsElizabeth City Code § 6.04.390
A.All animals adopted from the city shelter must be spayed or neutered within thirty (30) days after the date of adoption by a licensed veterinarian. Any animal that is less than four (4) months at the time of its adoption, must be spayed or neutered within thirty (30) days of the animal reaching four (4) months of age.B.Failure to comply with the requirements of this section will result in a s...
Pet Store Rules
Elizabeth requires every pet shop to hold an annual $200.00 license from the central license bureau, plus added per-dog fees for animals kenneled for sale. The code sets licensing and inspection standards but does not require pet shops to sell only shelter or rescue animals.
Elizabeth Pet Shop Licensing Requirements
Some RestrictionsElizabeth City Code §§ 6.04.100, 6.04.140
Any person who keeps or operates or proposes to establish a kennel, a pet shop, a shelter or a pound shall apply to the central license bureau for a license entitling him or her to keep or operate such establishment. ... There shall be a license required annually to operate a pet shop in the city of Elizabeth. The license fee for a pet shop shall be two hundred dollars ($200.00). There shall be...
Bird Protection
Elizabeth's municipal code makes it unlawful to hunt, molest, injure, capture, or otherwise interfere with the freedom of any wild, undomesticated bird in a city park, along with squirrels, fish, and other animals that belong to the city. The ban sits in the parks chapter alongside rules protecting statues, lawns, and park structures, and it applies citywide to every park under the city's jurisdiction.
Elizabeth Bird and Wildlife Protection in Parks
Heavy RestrictionsElizabeth City Code § 12.48.070
It is 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 city park in the city; 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 city, in any such park.
Looking for Union County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Elizabeth city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Union County →