Animal Ordinances in Newark, NJ (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Newark, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Newark lets residents keep chickens and other fowl only with a $10 annual permit, a coop set back 20 feet from any door or window, and no roosters at all. Cattle, sheep, goats and swine need their own Health Department permit and, like fowl, are barred from any multi-family dwelling.
Newark Backyard Chicken and Livestock Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsNewark, NJ Code § 6:2-34; § 6:2-35(c); § 6:2-36
No fowl or rabbits shall be allowed, under any circumstances, to run at large. They shall be kept confined in a suitable house or coop with an enclosed runway. ... No part of such house, coop or runway shall be less than 20 feet from the doors or windows of any premises occupied by human beings, whether for dwelling or business purposes. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or mainta...
Dog Leash Laws
Newark bars dogs from running loose anywhere in the city and separately requires that any dog out in public be on a leash no longer than six feet, held by a responsible person. Both rules sit in the Domestic Animals chapter and carry the same fine of up to $200 or 90 days in jail.
Newark Dog Leash and Running-at-Large Law
Some RestrictionsNewark, NJ Code § 6:1-3; § 6:1-4
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, public building or any other public place within the City. ... No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog shall suffer or permit it to be upon the public streets or in any public place of the City unless such dog is accompanied by a responsible person, and ...
Breed Restrictions
Newark does not ban any dog breed. Instead, its Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dogs article lets the Municipal Court declare an individual dog dangerous based on its conduct, such as an unprovoked attack, and then forces the owner into a strict confinement, muzzling, signage and insurance regime.
Newark Dangerous Dog Declaration Rules
Significant RestrictionsNewark, NJ Code § 6:1-65(a)(1); § 6:1-66(a)(3)
The Municipal Court shall declare a dog to be potentially dangerous if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that the dog: 1. Caused bodily injury as defined by N.J.S. 2C:11-1(a) to a person during an unprovoked attack, and poses a serious threat of bodily injury or death to a person ... To immediately erect and maintain an enclosure for the potentially dangerous dog on the property where t...
Exotic Pets
Newark's animal code bans exposing, exhibiting or displaying boa constrictors and other dangerous snakes or reptiles, plus livestock, on any public street, sidewalk or highway, or in the common areas of residential buildings. The ban targets animals that pose a threat of serious bodily injury or death, whether to people or to other domestic animals, under Chapter 6:2, Article 3.
Newark Bars Public Display of Dangerous Snakes
Significant RestrictionsNewark Revised General Ordinances § 6:2-17
No person shall expose, exhibit or display in any public street, sidewalk or highway within the City, in any public ground or public access areas of single family or multi-family residential dwellings including but not limited to the entranceway, lobby, hallway, laundry room, attic, basement or porch areas in the City, any horse, sheep, swine, goat, cow, calf, cattle, boa constrictors or other ...
Pet Store Rules
Newark does not ban retail pet stores from selling dogs or cats. It licenses ordinary pet shops separately from places that sell dogs: a 'pet shop' under city code is defined to exclude any place where dogs are kept for sale, since those places are licensed instead as dog shops or kennels.
Newark Pet Shop License and Dog Sale Carve-Out
Light RestrictionsNewark, NJ Code § 6:2-2(a),(b)
As used in this Article, a pet shop shall mean an establishment containing a store, room or group of rooms, cages or exhibition pens, not part of a kennel, wherein birds or animals commonly accepted or regarded as pets are kept for sale, excluding, however, such places wherein dogs are kept for sale. No pet shop as herein defined, shall be maintained or conducted in the City without first obtai...
Pet Groomer Rules
Newark's zoning code defines animal grooming as bathing, clipping or combing cats and dogs for appearance or health, distinct from animal daycare or boarding. Title XLI's use tables permit the use only in the C-2, C-3, MX-2 and MX-3 commercial and mixed-use districts and the I-1 industrial zone; it is prohibited in every residential zone (R-1 through R-6). The Zoning Officer enforces these use limits citywide.
Newark Animal Grooming Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsNewark Zoning & Land Use Ordinance §§ 41:2-2, 41:4-2 (Table 4-2)
ANIMAL GROOMING Shall mean any place or establishment whose primary service offered is to be a place where cats or dogs are bathed, clipped, or combed for the purpose of enhancing their aesthetic value and/or health. Such use shall not include animal boarding, kennels, or animal daycare. ... Animal Daycare, Animal Grooming - P P - P P
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Newark's zoning code splits veterinary uses into two categories: a Veterinary Clinic or Office, where animals are treated but not kept overnight, and a Veterinary Hospital, which allows overnight stays or exceeds 3,500 square feet. Table 4-2 permits veterinary clinics by right across all six commercial and mixed-use zones, but a veterinary hospital is allowed only in the C-3 zone.
Newark Veterinary Clinic Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsNewark Zoning & Land Use Ordinance §§ 41:2-2, 41:4-2 (Table 4-2)
VETERINARY CLINIC OR OFFICE Shall mean a commercial facility where animals are brought in for medical treatment but are not kept overnight. Where a veterinary clinic or office exceeds 3,500 square feet in floor area, it shall be considered a veterinary hospital. VETERINARY HOSPITAL Shall mean a commercial facility where animals are brought in for medical treatment and may remain overnight for o...
Bird Protection
New construction and major renovations in Newark must use bird-friendly glazing on exterior walls up to 100 feet above grade, capping ordinary glass at ten square feet per 100-square-foot wall panel. The rule, § 41:16-12, cites hundreds of millions of annual bird-glass collisions as its reason for existing.
Newark Requires Bird-Safe Glass on New Buildings
Some RestrictionsNewark, NJ Code § 41:16-12-4(1)
The exterior wall envelope and all openings up to 100 feet above grade shall be constructed with bird friendly materials. Materials other than bird friendly materials shall not exceed an aggregate of 10 square feet within any 10 feet by 10 feet square area of exterior wall area below 100 feet above grade.
Looking for Essex County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Newark city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Essex County →