Animal Ordinances in Trenton, NJ (2026)
11 verified animal ordinances for Trenton, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Trenton's zoning ordinance flatly prohibits keeping livestock, chickens, or other poultry on any community garden site in the city, private or public, though beekeeping is expressly allowed. Because raising chickens or livestock is not a listed use anywhere else in the zoning code's use matrix, it has no path onto residential property either.
Trenton Bans Livestock and Chickens in Community Gardens
Heavy RestrictionsTrenton Code § 315-8.4.E.2
E. Community Garden. The following standards apply to community gardens on private property. Community gardens on city-owned property are subject to the standards of Chapter 54 City-Owned Property, Article IV, Community Gardens Program. ... 2. The keeping of livestock, chickens or other poultry, and any aquaculture is prohibited. Apiaries are permitted.
Dog Leash Laws
Trenton requires every dog on a public street or in a public place to either wear a securely fastened muzzle covering the whole mouth, or be on a leash no longer than three feet and controlled by a person at least 14 years old, under § 21-5. Police canine corps dogs under Police Department supervision are the only exemption.
Trenton Dog Leash and Muzzle Law
Some RestrictionsTrenton Code § 21-5
No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog, male or female, shall permit it to run at large or to accompany him/her on or in any public street or public place within the City at any time unless such dog shall wear a substantial muzzle of adequate size securely fastened about the nose and covering the whole mouth, except that a dog shall be permitted on or in the streets or public places wit...
Breed Restrictions
Trenton's code does not ban any dog breed outright. Instead, § 21-9 sets fees that apply once the Municipal Court, under state law N.J.S.A. 4:19-26, has already declared a specific dog vicious or potentially dangerous: $25 per day for boarding plus out-of-pocket veterinary costs, and $75 if the court orders the dog euthanized.
Trenton Has No Dog Breed Ban
Light RestrictionsTrenton Code § 21-9
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:19-26, the fee for boarding and maintenance of any dog deemed by the Municipal Court to be either vicious or potentially dangerous is hereby fixed at $25 per day plus any out-of-pocket costs expended for medical care and related items. The fee to euthanize and dispose of any dog declared vicious or potentially dangerous shall be $75.
Beekeeping
Trenton permits residential beekeeping under City Code § 315-9.4.D, but hives are allowed only in interior side or rear yards, set back at least 10 feet from every lot line, and must sit behind a 6-foot flyway barrier unless the yard is already enclosed by a solid fence or wall. State Department of Agriculture beekeeping rules control any conflict.
Trenton Beekeeping Apiary Standards
Some RestrictionsTrenton Code § 315-9.4.D(1)-(4)
In addition to the standards below, all apiaries and beekeeping activities must comply with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture Beekeeping Regulations. In the case of conflict with the state regulations, the state regulations control. 1. Hives are allowed only in interior side or rear yards. 2. Hives must be set back ten feet from all lot lines. 3. When the apiary is located within a yard ...
Wildlife Feeding
Trenton prohibits feeding any wildlife in public parks or on other City-owned property. Adopted to protect public health and the environment, City Code § 21-34 makes it unlawful to feed unconfined animals such as deer, geese, or strays on municipal land. The Police Department enforces the ban, and violators face a fine of up to $2,000 under § 21-37.
Trenton Bans Feeding Wildlife in Parks
Significant RestrictionsTrenton Code §§ 21-32, 21-34, 21-35, 21-37
§ 21-32. Purpose. The purpose of this article is to prohibit the feeding of unconfined wildlife in any public park or on any other property owned or operated by the City of Trenton, so as to protect the environment, public health, safety and welfare, and to prescribe penalties for failure to comply. ... § 21-34. Regulated activities. No person shall feed, in any public park or on any other prop...
Pet Limits
Trenton imposes no fixed numeric cap on the dogs or cats a household can keep. City Code § 21-29 instead bars keeping animals in numbers, sizes, or types that create a public nuisance, judged by whether the property can adequately contain and shelter each animal alongside its human occupants. The Health Officer enforces the standard through written notice and an administrative hearing before any citation issues.
Trenton Animal-Keeping Nuisance Limit
Some RestrictionsTrenton Code § 21-29
Except as a licensee to operate a kennel, pet shop or other lawful activity involving the keeping of animals, no person shall keep or house animals of any species in such numbers or of such size or innate characteristics as to constitute a public nuisance. The keeping of animals shall be deemed to be a public nuisance if the property within which they are kept is not of a size, configuration, o...
Cat Rules
Trenton does not license cats the way state law requires for dogs, but it regulates them through adoption fees, feral-colony registration, and a citywide spay/neuter mandate. An impounded cat costs $100 to adopt under § 21-8, and § 21-35 exempts feral cats fed under a registered Trap-Neuter-Release program from the City's wildlife-feeding ban.
Trenton Cat Adoption Fees and Colony Rules
Some RestrictionsTrenton Code §§ 21-8, 21-35, 21-48
§ 21-8. Seizure and redemption. ... B. Adoption fees shall be as follows: (1) Male cat: $100. (2) Female cat: $100. (3) Male dog: $120. (4) Female dog: $120. ... § 21-35. Exemptions. Exemptions include unconfined wildlife at environmental education centers and feral cats as part of an approved Trap-Neuter-Release program. ... § 21-48. Exceptions. ... G. Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) manag...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Trenton requires every dog or cat over six months old to be spayed or neutered before it can be owned, possessed, or kept in the City. City Code § 21-47 makes unaltered pet ownership unlawful outright, subject only to the narrow exceptions listed in § 21-48, such as a veterinarian's health waiver or a paid $300 breeding permit.
Trenton Mandatory Pet Spay/Neuter Law
Heavy RestrictionsTrenton Code §§ 21-47, 21-48
§ 21-47. Spaying or neutering required. It shall be unlawful to own, possess, or keep in the City any dog or cat over the age of six months that has not bee spayed or neutered, except as provided in § 21-48 of this article. § 21-48. Exceptions. A. Statement of veterinarian. If a licensed veterinarian states, in writing, that an animal is unfit to undergo the required surgical procedure because ...
Pet Store Rules
Trenton requires anyone operating a kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound to obtain an annual license from the City Clerk with the Health Officer's written approval, under § 21-14. The code does not ban retail sale of dogs or cats or require adoption-only sourcing; it instead regulates location, sanitation and licensing of any establishment that sells or houses animals.
Trenton Pet Shop & Kennel Licensing Rule
Some RestrictionsTrenton Code § 21-14
License required. Any person who keeps or operates or proposes to establish a kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound shall apply to the City Clerk or a license to keep or operate such establishment. The application shall describe the premises where the establishment is located and the purpose or purposes for which it is to be maintained and shall be accompanied by the written approval of the Health...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Trenton zones veterinary offices as an "Animal Care Facility" use under § 315-2.3, covering treatment and convalescent boarding of animals. Section 315-8.4.B requires exterior exercise areas to sit to the side or rear of the building, be 30% covered, and be fenced 6 to 8 feet high.
Trenton Veterinary Office Zoning Standards
Some RestrictionsTrenton Code §§ 315-2.3, 315-8.4.B
§ 315-2.3, ANIMAL CARE FACILITY: An establishment which provides care for domestic animals, including veterinary offices for the treatment of animals, where animals may be boarded during their convalescence, pet grooming establishments, animal training centers and clubs, and pet boarding facilities, where animals are boarded during the day and/or for short-term stays. § 315-8.4.B, Animal Care F...
Bird Protection
Trenton bars killing, capturing, disturbing or frightening any wild bird within City park areas, and no one but the City itself may take such action, making park land an effective sanctuary for wild birds under the Parks and Recreation Areas chapter.
Trenton Wild Bird Protection in City Parks
Significant RestrictionsTrenton Code § 193-12
§ 193-12. Wild animals and birds. No person, except by direction of the City, shall kill or capture any wild animal or bird within the limits of any park area, and no person shall disturb or frighten any wild animal or bird or attempt to drive them out of such areas.
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