Animal Ordinances in Stafford Township, NJ (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Stafford Township, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Stafford Township requires a $20 annual registration with the Department of Animal Control to keep chickens or other fowl on a lot of at least 0.20 acres with a single-family home. A 0.20-acre lot is capped at 12 fowl, roosters are banned on residential property, and pens must sit in the rear yard.
Stafford Township Backyard Chicken and Small Livestock Rules
Some RestrictionsStafford Township Code § 60-31A, B, C(1); § 60-32A, C(6)
A. Registration. ... Except as part of an active farm, no person shall keep, raise or maintain any chicken, or other fowl unless such person has first registered to do so from the Township Department of Animal Control. There will be an annual registration fee of $20, which shall be renewable annually. ... B. Maximum number of fowl. A minimum lot size of 0.20 acres is required for keeping any fo...
Dog Leash Laws
In Stafford Township, a dog on a public street, sidewalk, thoroughfare, park, playground, school yard or other public place must be controlled by an adequate leash or tether not more than six feet long. No dog can run at large on public property, or on private property without the owner's consent. Running at large carries a fine of $50 to $1,250 under § 60-8C, and each day is a separate offense.
Stafford Township Dog Leash and Running at Large Rules
Some RestrictionsStafford Township Code §§ 60-8A, 60-8C, 60-15
A. No dog, cattle, goat, swine, fowl and/or other like animal or livestock shall run or be permitted by its owner to run upon any public street, sidewalk, thoroughfare, park, playground, school yard or in any of the public places of the Township or upon any private property without the prior consent of the owner. ... C. Violations and penalties. A person who violates § 60-8 shall be subject to ...
Breed Restrictions
The Stafford Township dog sections quoted here turn on behavior and a state declaration process, not on a named breed. The Animal Control Officer follows N.J.S.A. 4:19-19 et seq. when a dog can be declared vicious or potentially dangerous, a potentially dangerous dog license costs $500 on top of the regular fee, and an animal found to have a propensity to cause harm must be muzzled or crated and on a leash no longer than six feet off the owner's premises.
Stafford Township Dangerous Dog Rules and Breed Provisions
Some RestrictionsStafford Township Code §§ 60-4C, 60-12A(8), 60-20, 60-25C
C. A person applying for a license for a potentially dangerous dog shall pay to the Township a fee of $500 in addition to the fees provided for in § 60-4A . ... (8) Any dog, cat or other animal with a dangerous or vicious propensity that is unmuzzled, uncontrolled by proper restraining or running at large, provided that the dog, cat or other animal may be seized by the Animal Control Officer, a...
Exotic Pets
Stafford Township, including Manahawkin, bars anyone from keeping, harboring or owning an exotic animal covered by the 2014 ordinance. Owners who can prove ownership from before the section's effective date keep the animal only if it is registered, at $30 per animal, with renewal due each year by February 1.
Stafford Township Exotic Animal Ban and Registration
Heavy RestrictionsStafford Township Code § 60-29; § 60-30
§ 60-29. Possession of exotic animals prohibited. ... A. No person shall keep, harbor, possess, own or allow to be kept within the Township any exotic animal on the premises which are purchased after the effective date of this section. B. Any person who has proof of ownership of an exotic animal prior to the effective date of this section will be permitted to retain such animal, provided that t...
Wildlife Feeding
Stafford Township prohibits feeding wildlife in any public park or on any other Township-owned or operated property, and on private property, where the listed wildlife includes seagulls, ducks, squirrels, raccoons, Canada geese and waterfowl. Backyard songbird feeding is permitted under four conditions. Violators are ordered to cease immediately and must remove the food within 24 hours after notice.
Stafford Township Wildlife Feeding Ban
Some RestrictionsStafford Township Code § 60-26
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. B. No person shall feed, in any public park or on any other property owned or operated by the Township of Staffor...
Cat Rules
Every cat in Stafford Township must be licensed and wear a collar with a metal disc bearing the township name, year and license number. The annual license is $12 for an unaltered cat and $7 for a spayed or neutered cat, and anyone who feeds stray cats for three days becomes their owner under the code.
Stafford Township NJ Cat License and Rabies Rules
Some RestrictionsStafford Township Code §§ 217-1, 217-2 and 217-3(A)
OWNER When applied to the proprietorship of a cat, includes every person having a right of property (or custody) in such cat and every person who has such cat in his or her keeping or who harbors or maintains a cat or knowingly permits a cat to remain on or about any premises occupied by that person. Anyone feeding stray cats for a time period of three days will be the owner and subject to all ...
Pet Store Rules
Stafford Township prints no outright ban on retail sales of dogs and cats. Section 60-21F lets the Township issue a pet shop license that restricts the shop from selling cats or dogs, or both, and § 60-21I bars a pet shop from selling any animal bought from a breeder or broker without a current USDA license or with certain USDA citations. Animals from shelters, rescues and animal control stay available.
Stafford Township Pet Shop Cat and Dog Sales Rules
Significant RestrictionsStafford Township Code § 60-21F, I(3)
F. The Township may issue a license for a pet shop that permits the pet shop to sell pet supplies for all types of animals, including cats and dogs, and sell animals other than cats and dogs but restricts the pet shop from selling cats or dogs, or both. ... (3) Certain animals offered by breeder, broker, prohibited sale by pet shop. (a) No pet shop shall sell or offer for sale, or purchase for ...
Bird Protection
In Stafford Township, including Manahawkin, no one can capture, hunt, trap, molest or injure a bird in a Township park, set out bait or a harmful substance for one, or take its young, eggs or nest, unless the Township has issued a permit. A conviction carries a fine of up to $2,000.
Stafford Township Park Bird Protection Rules
Some RestrictionsStafford Township Code §§ 151-11, 151-39A
No person shall, in any Township park, do or cause to be done any of the following without first obtaining a permit from the Township: ... A. Willfully capture, attempt to capture, hunt, molest, injure, trap or administer or set out any bait or harmful substance for any wild or domestic animal, reptile or bird, nor remove or have in his possession the young, eggs or nest of any animal, reptile ...