Animal Ordinances in New Jersey (2026)

New Jersey's Right to Farm Act protects commercial farms from local restrictions, while the Department of Agriculture…

Bergenfield's Sanitary Code makes it unlawful for any property owner or occupant to keep farm animals anywhere in the…

Freehold Township bans housing or storing farm animals, defined to include livestock and poultry, in any residential…

Irvington Township Code Section 167-2A and B ban keeping backyard chickens, roosters, turkeys, ducks, pigeons, quail or…

Passaic's Zoning Ordinance flatly prohibits keeping or breeding poultry, pigeons, fur-bearing animals, horses, cows…

Paterson prohibits keeping horses, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, donkeys and other bovine or equine animals citywide…

Trenton's zoning ordinance flatly prohibits keeping livestock, chickens, or other poultry on any community garden site…

Edison Township lets residents keep cattle, horses, sheep and goats only with Zoning and Health Officer-approved…

Elizabeth bans keeping goats anywhere in the city and bans live swine entirely. Cattle and chickens are allowed but…

Long Branch caps the breeding, keeping and raising of horses, ponies and mules at one animal per acre citywide, and the…

Newark lets residents keep chickens and other fowl only with a $10 annual permit, a coop set back 20 feet from any door…

Woodbridge bars cattle, rabbits, sheep, goats, ducks, swine, horses, chickens and similar farm animals on residential…

Brick Township caps backyard chickens at four unless housed in a covered, setback-compliant enclosure approved by…

Cherry Hill Township Code § 8-8 regulates keeping sheep, goats and swine: a Township Division of Health certificate is…

Clifton allows chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons and other fowl only with an annual $125 Health Department license, and…

Galloway Township prohibits horses, cattle, swine, goats, fowl, and other animals from running at large off the owner's…

Hackensack requires a Health Department permit to keep chickens or other fowl, along with pigs, cows, horses, sheep…

In Hamilton's RRC Rural Resource Conservation District, § 550-73B(1)(i) caps livestock at one saddle horse, one cow or…

Jersey City regulates farm poultry, not general livestock, under Article II of Chapter 90. Anyone keeping pigeons…

Village of Ridgewood Code §§ 105-17 and 105-18 require a Division of Health license to keep cattle, poultry or fowl…

Toms River Township caps commercial livestock density at one cow or horse per acre and seven goats or sheep per acre…

Gloucester County bars bringing any pet or animal into its parks, not just requiring a leash. Section 2(l) of the Parks…

Atlantic County requires any pet in a County parks area to be restrained on a leash no longer than six feet under §…

Bergen County's Parks System Rules and Regulations require every dog on county park property to stay on a leash no more…

Bergenfield bans dogs running at large on any public street, park, building, or private property, and separately…

Brick Township requires dogs in public places to be on a leash no longer than six feet, and bans letting dogs run at…

Rule 19 of the Burlington County Parks System Rules and Regulations requires dogs and cats in county parks to be on a…

Camden County requires every domestic animal in its parks to be on a leash no longer than six feet, and owners must…

Cherry Hill Township bans dogs running at large on public streets, in parks, public buildings or any public place, and…

Clifton bars owners from letting any dog, licensed or not, run at large on city streets, public places, or someone…

Edison Township bans dogs running at large at any time and requires any dog off its owner's property to be on a leash…

Elizabeth bans letting a dog run loose on public streets, in parks, public buildings or any other public place. Section…

Dogs in Essex County parks must be leashed at all times, with a maximum six-foot leash, except inside areas the county…

Freehold Borough Title 6 requires all dogs on public streets or public places to be on a leash no longer than 8 feet…

Freehold Township bars dogs from running loose on public streets, parks or private property without the owner's…

Galloway Township prohibits any dog from running at large at any time. Owners must keep dogs under restraint on their…

Dogs off their owner's property in Hackensack must be muzzled or kept on a leash no longer than eight feet under…

Hamilton Township bans dogs running at large anywhere in the Township and requires any dog on a public street or public…

Irvington Township Code Section 167-11 bars any dog or cat, leashed or not, from Township parks and public playgrounds…

Jersey City requires every dog off its owner's property to be under the control of a leash no more than six feet long…

Lakewood Township requires every dog on a public street or in any public place to be on a leash no longer than six…

Linden bars dogs from running at large on any public street, place or building, or on property other than the owner's…

Long Branch bars dogs from running at large anywhere in the city and requires any dog off its owner's property to be on…

Dogs, cats and other furred animals in Mercer County parks must stay on a leash no longer than 6 feet and cannot run at…

In Morris County parks, dogs must be leashed on a lead no longer than 6 feet. Off-leash areas exist only at Lewis…

Newark bars dogs from running loose anywhere in the city and separately requires that any dog out in public be on a…

Passaic bans dogs from running at large anywhere in the city, whether licensed or not. Under Code of the City of…

Passaic County requires every owner to carry a leash for each dog and to remain with their dog at all times inside a…

Paterson requires any dog off its owner's premises to be restrained on a leash, tether, chain or rope no longer than…

Village of Ridgewood Code § 105-8 forbids any dog from running at large, defined by § 105-1 as being off its owner's…

Somerset County Park Commission Regulations require every dog inside a county park to be restrained by a leash and kept…

Toms River Township bans dogs running at large at any time and requires a leash in any public place, highway, or…

Trenton requires every dog on a public street or in a public place to either wear a securely fastened muzzle covering…

In Union County parks and on other county-controlled property, dogs must stay on a leash no longer than six feet and…

Woodbridge bans letting any dog run at large and requires that any dog on a public street or in a public place be on a…

Hackensack's dog code does not single out breeds by name, but Section 52-15F bars any vicious or dangerous dog from…

Bergenfield has no breed-specific ban; Section 95-6 lets the Municipal Court declare an individual dog "potentially…

Cherry Hill Township Code § 8-2.13 has no breed-specific dog ban; instead it lets the Municipal Court declare an…

Clifton does not regulate dogs by breed. The City repealed its Pit Bull ordinance in 2000 and now judges dogs by…

Edison Township has no breed-specific dog ban. Instead, the Division of Health or a licensed veterinarian can declare…

Freehold Township does not restrict dog ownership by breed. Instead, § 79-6 of the Township Code lets the Municipal…

Hamilton Township has no breed-specific ban; instead it regulates individually declared dangerous dogs. A dog a court…

Jersey City doesn't ban any dog breed outright: its dangerous-dog rules in § 90-17 turn on documented behavior, not…

Lakewood Township has no breed ban; Code § 5-6 instead lets the Municipal Court declare an individual dog 'vicious' or…

Linden has no breed-specific ban; Section 5-3 instead lets the Municipal Court declare a specific dog vicious or…

Long Branch does not ban dog breeds; it declares individual dogs vicious or potentially dangerous under state standards…

Newark does not ban any dog breed. Instead, its Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dogs article lets the Municipal Court…

Paterson has no breed-specific dog ban; a dog individually found 'potentially dangerous' under state law needs a $150…

The Village of Ridgewood, Bergen County does not single out any dog breed. Code § 105-1 defines a 'potentially…

Trenton's code does not ban any dog breed outright. Instead, § 21-9 sets fees that apply once the Municipal Court…

Woodbridge does not write its own breed list or dangerous-dog hearing process; § 11-5.6 instead adopts and incorporates…

Elizabeth regulates dogs by behavior, not breed. City code defines a "vicious dog" only by what it does, attacking or…

New Jersey requires beekeepers who overwinter colonies to register annually with the Department of Agriculture, and…

Keeping bees anywhere in Irvington requires a $75 Township permit, and colony numbers are capped by lot size: three…

Bergenfield permits residential beekeeping but caps every property at five hives under § 344-44R of the animal control…

Hamilton Township does not run its own beekeeping permit program. Township Code § 317-8 instead requires every…

Paterson bans beehives within 100 feet of public buildings, streets, or parks, and within 100 feet of any neighboring…

Trenton permits residential beekeeping under City Code § 315-9.4.D, but hives are allowed only in interior side or rear…

Brick Township bans keeping any Class I animal, lions, tigers, or other large undomesticated mammals and reptiles, as…

Rule 23 of the Burlington County Parks System Rules and Regulations, under the "WILDLIFE" heading, bars releasing any…

Edison Township bars keeping any wild, ferocious, or dangerous mammal or reptile species outside licensed zoos, labs…

Essex County bars bringing any exotic animal into a county park or onto park property for any period or purpose, unless…

Irvington Township Code Section 167-2C bans possessing, selling, feeding or purchasing any potentially dangerous…

Paterson makes it unlawful to keep any poisonous reptile, dangerous wild or carnivorous animal, or other vicious or…

Village of Ridgewood Code § 105-36 bans keeping or harboring any wild animal in the Village, defined by § 105-35 and §…

Bergenfield bars keeping wildlife native to New Jersey as a pet unless the keeper is a state-licensed wildlife…

Elizabeth bans letting any dangerous or vicious animal run at large, and requires a police chief's permit before anyone…

Freehold Township bars large exotic animals and potentially dangerous species from residential zones under § 79-16B of…

Hackensack requires a Health Department permit before anyone keeps a lion or tiger cub, cheetah, snake, or other…

Keeping an exotic, non-game or potentially dangerous wildlife species as a pet in Jersey City requires a state Fish and…

Newark's animal code bans exposing, exhibiting or displaying boa constrictors and other dangerous snakes or reptiles…

Keeping an exotic animal in Woodbridge requires two permits, one from the State Division of Fish and Wildlife and one…

New Jersey, not Morris County, regulates exotic pets. Potentially dangerous species cannot be kept as pets, and most…

New Jersey statute bans the intentional feeding of black bears statewide and authorizes wildlife regulators to address…

Atlantic County bars feeding any wildlife on County property under § 97-19, a rule the Board of County Commissioners…

Feeding, harming, or interfering with wildlife anywhere in the Bergen County Parks System is prohibited outright under…

Essex County prohibits giving food or any other substance to birds, animals, fish or other wildlife anywhere on county…

Freehold Township Code § 79-19 bars feeding, baiting or otherwise providing food to any wild animal, bird or waterfowl…

Gloucester County bans feeding geese, ducks, waterfowl and other wildlife at any time in any Park Area under Section…

Lakewood Township bans feeding unconfined wildlife in any public park or on Township-owned property. Code § 8-12.3…

Passaic County prohibits feeding, harming or interfering with wildlife anywhere on county park premises. The rule sits…

Feeding any wild animal in a Somerset County park is banned outright under Section 4(b)(1), grouped with hunting…

Brick Township bans feeding wild animals, rodents, or stray domestic animals anywhere in the township, public or…

Clifton bars feeding wild water fowl, swans, geese, brant and ducks, anywhere in the City, public or private land…

Hamilton Township bans feeding wildlife on any property it owns or operates, including its parks. Township Code §…

Irvington Township Code Article IV of Chapter 167, Sections 167-25 through 167-29, bans feeding unconfined wildlife…

Linden prohibits feeding any wildlife or stray domestic animals, on public or private property, defining wildlife…

Passaic prohibits feeding unconfined wildlife in any city park or on any other city-owned or -operated property. Code…

Toms River Township prohibits feeding unconfined wildlife, deer, geese, ducks or other wild animals, on any township…

Trenton prohibits feeding any wildlife in public parks or on other City-owned property. Adopted to protect public…

Bergenfield bans feeding migratory waterfowl in Cooper Pond Park outright and separately bars feeding any wild animal…

Camden County bars feeding any animal, fish or waterfowl in its park system, singling out geese for a strict ban. Park…

Cherry Hill Township bans feeding unconfined wildlife, including deer and geese, anywhere on Township-owned or…

Edison Township bars anyone from feeding unconfined wildlife in any public park or on any other Township-owned or…

Hackensack prohibits feeding any wildlife, deer, geese, or other wild animals, on public parks or other city-owned…

In Morris County parks, feeding any animal is prohibited at all times. On private property, wildlife-feeding rules…

Paterson bars feeding any unconfined wildlife on property the city owns or operates, including parks, with fines up to…

The Village of Ridgewood, Bergen County, New Jersey, bans purposely or knowingly feeding unconfined wildlife, including…

Union County prohibits feeding unconfined wildlife, deer, geese, or strays alike, in any public park or on any other…

Woodbridge Code § 3-51.3 bars feeding wildlife in any public park or on Township-owned or operated property, updating a…

New Jersey's animal cruelty laws apply statewide, prohibiting neglect and overcrowding that constitute hoarding, with…

Animal hoarding in Essex County is prosecuted under New Jersey's cruelty statute (N.J.S.A. 4:22-17), which criminalizes…

Brick Township makes it an unlawful public nuisance to keep five or more dogs or cats, in any combination, on…

Jersey City lets the Division of Health order the owner of any dwelling, structure or outdoor area to abate a…

Bergenfield bars keeping more than six cats at one time in any home or business, though licensed pet shops, kennels…

Edison Township caps the number of cats at five per single-dwelling unit under § 9-11.1; the Animals chapter sets no…

No Elizabeth household may hold more than five total dog and/or cat licenses. Owners who need more can petition the…

Freehold Township caps ownership at five dogs or cats, in any combination, per person under § 79-2D of the Township…

Hamilton caps household pets at four dogs or four cats total per single-family detached home in the R-15, R-10 and R-7…

Irvington Township Code Section 167-6 caps every household at four dogs or cats combined. Anyone keeping more than four…

Lakewood Township caps dogs at three per dwelling unit inside a multiple dwelling; the limit does not extend to…

No Linden dwelling unit may hold licenses for or keep more than three dogs at one time. Puppies under six months old do…

Inside Passaic County's dog parks, no single person may bring in more than two dogs at a time. This is a park-use rule…

Village of Ridgewood Code § 105-20 deems the keeping of five or more animals on one premises a kennel, and § 105-21…

Trenton imposes no fixed numeric cap on the dogs or cats a household can keep. City Code § 21-29 instead bars keeping…

Every cat over six months old in Bergenfield must be vaccinated against rabies and licensed with the Borough Clerk…

Brick Township requires cats over seven months old to be vaccinated and licensed annually through the Township Clerk…

Burlington County does not regulate cats directly. New Jersey does not require statewide cat licensing, though some…

Cherry Hill Township Code § 8-7.3 requires every cat over seven months old to be rabies-vaccinated and licensed…

Clifton lets residents feed free-roaming and feral cats on private property, but only during three set daily windows…

Every cat seven months or older kept in Edison Township must be vaccinated against rabies and licensed annually between…

Freehold Township requires every cat seven months or older to be licensed annually with the Board of Health, carry…

Every cat over seven months old in Hackensack must be vaccinated against rabies and licensed with the Health Department…

Hamilton Township requires every free-roaming owned cat to wear a collar and tag, and it permits community cat colonies…

Irvington Township Code Section 167-5 requires every cat owner to obtain a license from the Township's Division of…

Long Branch requires every cat of licensing age, seven months old, to be licensed if a resident owns, keeps or harbors…

Passaic bans abandoning cats anywhere in the city and requires every cat seven months or older to be licensed and…

Village of Ridgewood Code § 105-45 requires every cat four months or older to carry a current rabies vaccination, and §…

Toms River Township requires every cat over seven months old to be vaccinated against rabies and licensed annually…

Trenton does not license cats the way state law requires for dogs, but it regulates them through adoption fees…

Every cat over seven months in Woodbridge must be vaccinated against rabies and licensed annually with the Department…

Trenton requires every dog or cat over six months old to be spayed or neutered before it can be owned, possessed, or…

Atlantic County will not release a dog or cat from its Animal Shelter until the animal has been spayed or neutered and…

Brick Township doesn't require owners to spay or neuter dogs or cats, but unaltered pets pay a $3 higher annual license…

Elizabeth requires every animal adopted from the city shelter to be spayed or neutered within thirty days of adoption…

Hamilton Township does not require pet owners generally to spay or neuter their animals, but its TNVR program requires…

Irvington's Feral Cat Trap-Neuter-Return Program requires registered caretakers to have every cat in a colony neutered…

To use a Passaic County dog park, a dog six months or older must be spayed or neutered, and no puppy under four months…

Toms River Township doesn't mandate spay/neuter, but bans tethering any unneutered or unspayed dog outright and charges…

Bergenfield does not require dog owners to spay or neuter their pets. Its dog-licensing ordinance instead uses a fee…

Brick Township requires every feral cat in a registered TNR colony to receive an implanted electronic ID chip from a…

Hamilton Township does not require microchipping of ordinary pets, but its Trap Neuter Vaccinate and Return program…

Freehold Township has no separate coyote cull or hazing ordinance. Its animal-control code addresses coyotes only by…

Woodbridge bans discharging bows, crossbows and slingshots anywhere on Township-owned or leased property, but § 3-47.2…

Brick Township bans pet stores, kennels and their operators from selling, bartering or auctioning dogs and cats. Only…

Cherry Hill Township Code § 8-3.4 bars pet shops from selling dogs or cats except those obtained from or displayed in…

Clifton pet shops may not sell or offer for sale a dog or cat under a puppy-mill ordinance the City Council adopted in…

Hackensack pet shops can only offer dogs and cats obtained from an animal care facility or animal rescue organization…

Hamilton Township bans commercial-breeder pet sales: a licensed pet shop may only offer dogs and cats obtained from or…

Linden pet shops may sell only dogs and cats obtained from an animal care facility or a nonprofit animal rescue…

Village of Ridgewood Code § 105-56 bars pet shops from selling dogs and cats obtained anywhere except an animal care…

A Woodbridge pet shop cannot sell a puppy or kitten straight from a breeder. Section 11-6.3 limits stock to dogs and…

Bergenfield does not ban pet shops from selling dogs or cats and has no adoption-only mandate. Chapter 95 instead…

Edison requires a Division of Health license to operate any pet shop or kennel; the code doesn't mandate adoption-only…

Elizabeth requires every pet shop to hold an annual $200.00 license from the central license bureau, plus added per-dog…

Freehold Township requires every pet shop, kennel, shelter and pound to hold a Health Department license under § 79-3…

Lakewood Township requires a Township Clerk license, Zoning Officer sign-off and Health Officer inspection to run a pet…

Trenton requires anyone operating a kennel, pet shop, shelter or pound to obtain an annual license from the City Clerk…

Newark does not ban retail pet stores from selling dogs or cats. It licenses ordinary pet shops separately from places…

Newark's zoning code defines animal grooming as bathing, clipping or combing cats and dogs for appearance or health…

Anyone operating a dog or cat grooming business in Woodbridge, mobile or stationary, needs a license from the…

Edison Township treats dog kennels and veterinarian's clinics as a conditional use in the G-B and G-BH General Business…

Hackensack allows animal hospitals and boarding facilities as a conditional use, but only if the site sits at least 200…

Irvington Township Code Section 167-20 bans operating, in any residential zone in the Township, an establishment where…

Village of Ridgewood Code § 105-26 lets the Division of Health refuse a kennel, pet shop or animal hospital license…

Veterinarians in Bergenfield are a conditional use under Borough Code § 186-78: every activity must stay inside an…

Clifton's zoning code lists an animal hospital as a permitted limited-manufacturing use in the Planned Mixed Use (P-MU)…

Freehold Township zones veterinary hospitals and offices as a permitted use only in the PUD-1 Planned Unit…

Hamilton Township's Land Development Ordinance permits an animal hospital, described as a hospital for small animals…

Linden's zoning code defines an 'animal hospital' as a place where animals get medical or surgical treatment, with any…

Newark's zoning code splits veterinary uses into two categories: a Veterinary Clinic or Office, where animals are…

Toms River Township treats veterinary clinics, hospitals and animal care facilities as a conditional use requiring a…

Trenton zones veterinary offices as an "Animal Care Facility" use under § 315-2.3, covering treatment and convalescent…

Clifton's parks ordinance makes it unlawful to hunt, molest, kill, wound, trap, shoot, pursue or capture any animal…

Elizabeth's municipal code makes it unlawful to hunt, molest, injure, capture, or otherwise interfere with the freedom…

In the Village of Ridgewood, Bergen County, it is unlawful to hunt, molest, injure, capture or otherwise interfere with…

Bergenfield's animal control code bans feeding birds by scattering food on the ground and requires any bird feeder to…

Brick Township bans hunting, harming, or trapping any bird, its eggs, nest, or young in township parks and recreation…

In every Cherry Hill Township park, it is illegal to hunt, molest, harm, trap or kill any bird, wildlife or reptile, or…

Jersey City bans hunting, harming, trapping or feeding any animal, reptile or bird within city parks under § 239-4 of…

Trenton bars killing, capturing, disturbing or frightening any wild bird within City park areas, and no one but the…

Hackensack's park rules make it unlawful to hunt, harm, trap, chase, shoot at or otherwise molest any bird in a city…

In Hamilton Township parks and recreation areas, Township Code § 340-1(A)(8) bans hunting, harming, trapping, or…

Linden bans feeding wildlife and stray animals citywide but carves out an exception for song birds: feeders must sit at…

New construction and major renovations in Newark must use bird-friendly glazing on exterior walls up to 100 feet above…

Freehold Township carves backyard and songbird feeding out of its general wildlife-feeding ban. Section 79-19(B) lets…

Paterson bars littering private grounds with bird feed that creates a rodent or health hazard, while still allowing…

Anyone caring for injured or orphaned wildlife in Bergenfield must hold a current New Jersey Department of…