Animal Ordinances in Ridgewood, NJ (2026)
10 verified animal ordinances for Ridgewood, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Village of Ridgewood Code §§ 105-17 and 105-18 require a Division of Health license to keep cattle, poultry or fowl, set coop and barn setbacks from dwellings and food establishments, cap poultry density at one bird per three square feet, and ban roosters and other noisy fowl.
Ridgewood, NJ Poultry and Livestock Rules
Some RestrictionsVillage of Ridgewood Code §§ 105-17H, 105-18A, E, H, K
H. Location. No barn, stable, pen or corral shall be within 100 feet of any dwelling unit or place where people congregate or within 400 feet of any food or eating establishment or within 10 feet of any property line. ... A. License or permit required. No person shall keep or maintain live poultry or fowl, even for noncommercial purposes, without first having obtained a license or permit for th...
Dog Leash Laws
Village of Ridgewood Code § 105-8 forbids any dog from running at large, defined by § 105-1 as being off its owner's property unrestrained by collar and leash or a controlling person. A dog caught running at large can be impounded and its owner fined under § 105-16.
Ridgewood, NJ Dogs Running at Large Ban
Some RestrictionsVillage of Ridgewood Code §§ 105-1, 105-8
RUNNING AT LARGE Off the premises of the person owning or having the care, custody or control of an animal or on the premises of another without his consent or on public property, unless in a vehicle or restrained by an adequate collar and leash or unless accompanied by a responsible person able to control the animal. ... No dog shall be permitted to run at large. Any dog running at large may b...
Breed Restrictions
The Village of Ridgewood, Bergen County does not single out any dog breed. Code § 105-1 defines a 'potentially dangerous dog' as one a municipal court has declared dangerous under N.J.S.A. 4:19-30, and § 105-6E layers a separate Village license fee, set in Chapter 145, on top of the ordinary dog license once that court declaration is made.
Ridgewood, NJ Dangerous Dog Declaration Rules
Some RestrictionsVillage of Ridgewood Code §§ 105-1, 105-6E
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DOG Any dog declared potentially dangerous by a municipal court pursuant to state law N.J.S.A. 4:19-30. ... E. License fee for potentially dangerous dog: as set forth in Chapter 145, Fees.
Exotic Pets
Village of Ridgewood Code § 105-36 bans keeping or harboring any wild animal in the Village, defined by § 105-35 and § 105-34 as a species dangerous or savage by nature regardless of how tame an individual animal seems, with removal enforced through a Board of Review appeal process.
Ridgewood, NJ Wild Animal Possession Ban
Heavy RestrictionsVillage of Ridgewood Code §§ 105-34, 105-36
WILD ANIMAL An animal of a species dangerous to human beings or savage in nature, living ordinarily at large and not customarily made tame or gentle by long continued association with man, without regard to whether a specific animal is considered a pet or domesticated by its keeper or possessor. ... No person shall hereafter keep, maintain, harbor or have in his possession any wild animal in, a...
Wildlife Feeding
The Village of Ridgewood, Bergen County, New Jersey, bans purposely or knowingly feeding unconfined wildlife, including birds, deer, waterfowl and raccoons, on any public or private land. Feeders must sit at least six feet off the ground, and no more than three are allowed per property.
Ridgewood NJ Bans Feeding Wildlife
Some RestrictionsVillage of Ridgewood Code § 105-52
No person shall purposely or knowingly feed unconfined wildlife, including but not limited to birds, deer, wildfowl, racoons or any other animal not kept as a domestic pet in the Village of Ridgewood on lands either publicly or privately owned. It shall be presumed that a person is purposely or knowingly feeding wildlife unless the feed is placed in a birdfeeder that at its lowest point is at l...
Pet Limits
Village of Ridgewood Code § 105-20 deems the keeping of five or more animals on one premises a kennel, and § 105-21 then requires a Division of Health license to operate as a kennel, pet shop or animal hospital, effectively capping an ordinary household at four pets.
Ridgewood, NJ Kennel Threshold for Pets
Some RestrictionsVillage of Ridgewood Code §§ 105-20, 105-21
The keeping of five animals or more per premises shall be deemed a kennel. ... No person shall operate a kennel, pet shop or an animal hospital without having first obtained a license therefor from the Division of Health.
Cat Rules
Village of Ridgewood Code § 105-45 requires every cat four months or older to carry a current rabies vaccination, and § 105-46 requires a Village license displaying that number, expiring January 31 each year with a late charge after February 1.
Ridgewood, NJ Cat Licensing and Vaccination
Some RestrictionsVillage of Ridgewood Code §§ 105-45, 105-46, 105-49
A. Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall be the owner of a cat of licensing age within the Village of Ridgewood unless such cat is licensed and has a vaccination which was administered within the last 365 days or for which a valid vaccination certificate indicates an expiration date occurring in the future. The provisions of this section do not apply to cats held in a veterinary...
Pet Store Rules
Village of Ridgewood Code § 105-56 bars pet shops from selling dogs and cats obtained anywhere except an animal care facility or animal rescue organization, and bans the sale of any dog or cat younger than eight weeks old, a puppy-mill-style sourcing ban.
Ridgewood NJ Requires Adoption-Only Pet Sales
Significant RestrictionsVillage of Ridgewood Code § 105-56
Any pet shop may offer for sale only those dogs and cats that the pet shop has obtained from or displays in cooperation with: (1) An animal care facility. (2) An animal rescue organization. ... Any pet shop shall not offer for sale any dog or cat that is younger than eight weeks old.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Village of Ridgewood Code § 105-26 lets the Division of Health refuse a kennel, pet shop or animal hospital license over neighborhood incompatibility, § 105-27 requires the site be located and equipped to prevent noise, stench and unsanitary conditions, and licensing is tied to Chapter 190 zoning compliance.
Ridgewood, NJ Animal Hospital Location Rules
Significant RestrictionsVillage of Ridgewood Code §§ 105-26, 105-27
No license to operate a kennel, pet shop or animal hospital shall be granted when the keeping of dogs, cats or animals, because of the location surroundings and characteristics of the premises, would be detrimental or likely to cause discomfort or annoyance to those residing or carrying on business in the neighborhood. ... Editor's Note: Issuance of a kennel license is contingent upon complianc...
Bird Protection
In the Village of Ridgewood, Bergen County, it is unlawful to hunt, molest, injure, capture or otherwise interfere with any wild, undomesticated bird, squirrel, fish or other animal inside a public park under Village Code § 212-5, part of the Parks and Recreation Areas chapter that also bars hunting Village-wide.
Ridgewood Park Bird Protection Rule
Heavy RestrictionsVillage of Ridgewood Code § 212-5
It shall be 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 public park in the Village or the freedom of any squirrel, fish or other animal in any such public park.
Looking for Bergen County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Ridgewood city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Bergen County →