6 rules for unincorporated Gloucester County, New Jersey.
Verified from official government sources
Backyard chickens and livestock are governed by each Gloucester County municipality's zoning ordinance, which sets lot-size and coop-setback rules. New Jersey's Right to Farm Act protects commercial farms on qualifying land from being zoned out, even where residential rules would otherwise restrict animals.
New Jersey has no statewide leash law, so each Gloucester County municipality sets its own restraint and running-at-large rules. Statewide, every dog of licensing age must be licensed and wear an official metal registration tag under N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.2.
N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.2
Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a dog of licensing age shall annually or every third year, in accordance with a 3-year dog license or renewal thereof issued under subsection b. of section 12 of this act (C.4:19-15.12b), apply for and procure from the clerk of the municipality or other official designated by the governing body thereof to license dogs in the municipality in which he resi...
Breed-specific dog bans are illegal in New Jersey. N.J.S.A. 4:19-36 makes the state Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dog Act supersede any local law targeting a specific breed, so no Gloucester County municipality may ban pit bulls. Dogs are regulated only for individual dangerous behavior.
N.J.S.A. 4:19-36
The provisions of this act shall supersede any law, ordinance, or regulation concerning vicious or potentially dangerous dogs, any specific breed of dog, or any other type of dog inconsistent with this act enacted by any municipality, county, or county or local board of health.
Beekeeping is lawful across Gloucester County, but New Jersey requires every beekeeper who overwinters bees to register their apiary annually with the state Department of Agriculture under N.J.A.C. 2:24-3.1. Municipalities may add hive-placement setbacks; no county permit exists.
N.J.A.C. 2:24-3.1
All beekeepers in New Jersey who overwinter their bees must register their apiary(ies) with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture Apiary Inspection Program on an annual basis.
New Jersey bars keeping most exotic and nongame animals without a state permit. Under N.J.A.C. 7:25-4, no person may possess an exotic or nongame mammal, bird, reptile, or amphibian without a permit from the Division of Fish and Wildlife. No Gloucester County municipality can authorize these.
N.J.A.C. 7:25-4.2
no person shall possess any nongame species or exotic species of any mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian unless such person has first received both the appropriate permit from the Department
New Jersey bans intentionally feeding black bears statewide, and many Gloucester County municipalities add ordinances against feeding deer, Canada geese, or feral cats that create a nuisance. There is no county-wide rule; songbird feeders are generally allowed.
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