Animal Ordinances in Howell, NJ (2026)
7 verified animal ordinances for Howell, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
In Howell Township, the Code defines livestock to include all chickens, ducks, geese, guinea hens, peacocks, turkeys, emus and rheas, and bars owners from letting livestock run at large in public places. Buildings housing livestock in the R-2, R-3 and R-25 zones must sit at least 75 feet from all property lines.
Backyard Chickens and Livestock Rules in Howell Township
Some RestrictionsHowell Township Code § 57-3 and § 57-7(A)
LIVESTOCK All horses, ponies, donkeys, mules, miniature breeds and all other equine; all domestic and exotic pigs, hogs, and other swine; all cattle, goats, sheep, and all other bovine; all llamas, alpacas, camels, and all other camelids; all chickens, ducks, geese, guinea hens, peacocks, turkeys, emus, rheas, and all other poultry and fowl; and all other animals traditionally raised for food, ...
Dog Leash Laws
In Howell Township, New Jersey, a dog on a public street or in any public place must be with a person capable of controlling it and held by a leash of not more than six feet. Section 57-7 also bars owners from letting any pet or livestock run at large on public property unaccompanied, with fines that rise after a first warning.
Howell Township Dog Leash and Running at Large Rules
Some RestrictionsHowell Township Code § 57-7
A. Running at large. No person owning, keeping or harboring any pet or livestock shall suffer or permit it to run at large upon the public streets or any public park or any public building or any other public place within the Township unaccompanied by its owner or his, her or its representative. Any pet or livestock found running at large shall be deemed to be doing so with the permission of th...
Breed Restrictions
Howell Township Code § 57-12 regulates dogs by court declaration, not by breed list. Once the Howell Township Municipal Court or another New Jersey court declares a dog vicious or potentially dangerous, the owner must follow the court order, license the dog with a red tag, pay a $700 annual fee and carry court-set liability insurance.
Howell Township Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dog Rules
Significant RestrictionsHowell Township Code § 57-12
The owner or other person having custody and control of a dog which has been declared to be vicious or potentially dangerous by the Municipal Court of the Township of Howell or another court of competent jurisdiction of the State of New Jersey, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:19-17 et seq., shall comply with the provisions of any order entered by the Court pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:19-24. A. Duties of an o...
Wildlife Feeding
Howell Township Code § 57-15 prohibits feeding any wildlife in a public park or on any other property owned or operated by Howell Township. The Township Police Department enforces the ban, and a narrow exception protects humane acts such as the temporary nurturing of a wounded bird.
Howell Township Wildlife Feeding Ban on Public Property
Light RestrictionsHowell Township Code §§ 57-14, 57-15, 57-16, 57-17
FEED 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 All animals that are neither human nor domesticated. ... No person shall feed, in any public park or on any other property owned or operated by Howell Township, any w...
Cat Rules
Every owner of a cat in Howell Township, New Jersey must keep it vaccinated against rabies and register it with the Township each January once it reaches registration age. Section 57-11(C)(2) also makes it a violation to harbor, maintain or feed unconfined cats on any property out-of-doors in the Township.
Howell Township Cat Registration and Feeding Rules
Significant RestrictionsHowell Township Code § 57-11
A. Rabies vaccination. ... (1) No owner of a cat that has attained registration age shall keep, harbor or otherwise maintain such cat unless it is vaccinated against rabies. ... C. Registration. ... (1) Every owner who keeps, harbors or maintains a cat that has obtained registration age shall register such cat annually, in January of each year, with the Township. ... (2) Unconfined cats. ... (a...
Coyote Management
Howell Township, New Jersey manages overpopulation of whitetail deer through a permit hunt in a portion of the Bear Swamp Recreation Area under Chapter 179. The Township sets how many deer come out and how many permits issue, and violations carry a fine up to $1,000 and up to 90 days in the Monmouth County Jail.
Howell Township Deer Management Hunt at Bear Swamp
Significant RestrictionsHowell Township Code §§ 179-1, 179-2
The purpose of this chapter is to establish controlled hunting for whitetail deer within a portion of the Bear Swamp Recreation Area in order to allow the reduction of overpopulation and subsequent habitat destruction to said area. The Township finds that it is in the public interest to achieve this reduction of overpopulation by the issuance of a controlled number of permits to hunt whitetail ...
Pet Groomer Rules
A pet grooming establishment in Howell Township, New Jersey needs a license from the Township Clerk under Howell Township Code § 57-5. The application must describe the premises and carry written approval from the Township Health Officer. Chapter 139 sets the grooming establishment fee at $75, and dogs kept at the shop cannot leave the premises except on leash or in a crate.
Howell Township Pet Grooming Establishment License
Significant RestrictionsHowell Township Code § 57-5
A. License required. ... Any person who keeps or operates or proposes to establish or may otherwise be considered a kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound, dog training facility, boarding facility, pet grooming establishment, or commercial breeder, as defined herein, shall apply to the Township Clerk for a license entitling him or her to keep or operate such establishment. B. Application for licens...