Township of Oxford, NJ Article I Licensing and Regulation of Dogs and Regulation of Cats

[Adopted 9-5-1953 (Ch. 48, Art. I of the 1974 Township Code); amended 11-7-1966; 2-2-1970; 5-10-1971; 12-11-1974; 8-4-1975; 11-13-1981 by Ord. No. 81-7; 12-30-1983 by Ord. No. 83-3; 12-19-1991 by Ord. No. 91-14; 10-21-1993 by Ord. No. 93-11;12-15-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-15; 10-15-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-15; 6-15-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-05; 8-17-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-06; 6-17-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-08]

§ 118-1 Definitions.

A. As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

DOG

Any dog, bitch or spayed bitch.

DOG OF LICENSING AGE

Any dog which has attained the age of seven months or which possesses a set of permanent teeth.

OWNER

When applied to the proprietorship of a dog, every person having a right of property in such dog and every person who has such dog in his keeping.

PERSON

An individual, firm, partnership, corporation or association of persons.

POUND

An establishment for the confinement of dogs seized either under the provisions of this article or otherwise.

PUBLIC NUISANCE ANIMAL

An animal that damages either public or private property or harms the lawful users or occupants thereof.

VICIOUS DOG

Any dog which has attacked or bitten any human being or which habitually attacks other dogs or domestic animals.

B. The words "and" and "or" may be used interchangeably, and either of the two may be applicable, whichever is more conducive towards the effectuating of this article.

§ 118-2 License and official metal tag.

Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a dog of licensing age shall annually apply for and procure from the Township Clerk of the Township a license and official metal registration tag for each such dog so owned, kept or harbored and shall place upon such dog a collar or harness with the registration tag securely fastened thereto.

§ 118-3 Application for license and tag; exemption.

A. A person applying for a license and registration tag shall pay a fee of $11.80 for each dog, plus a New Jersey registration fee of $1, plus a Pilot Clinic Fund fee of $0.20, for each annual renewal for a spayed or neutered dog for a total of $13. Proof of neutering or spaying must be presented at the time of licensing. For each nonspayed or nonneutered dog, the license fee shall be $13.80, plus a New Jersey registration fee of $1, New Jersey Pilot Clinic Fund fee of $0.20, and New Jersey pet population control fee of $3 for a total of $18. All licenses, registration tags and renewals thereof shall expire on the last day of January each year.

B. Late fees.

(1) All dogs are required to be licensed in the Township of Oxford in the month of January.

(2) Late fees will be charged after January 31.

(a) February 1 to April 30: late fee of $6.

(b) May 1 to August 31: late fee of $10.

(c) September 1 to December 31: late fee of $25.

C. Dogs used as guides for blind persons and commonly known as "Seeing Eye" dogs, dogs used to assist handicapped persons and commonly known as "service dogs" or dogs used to assist deaf persons and commonly known as "Hearing Ear" dogs shall be licensed and registered as other dogs herein provided for, except that the owner or keeper of such dog shall not be required to pay any fee therefor.

§ 118-4 Licensing of newly acquired dogs.

The owner of any newly acquired dog of licensing age or of any dog which attains licensing age shall make application for a license and registration tag for such dog within 10 days after acquisition or age attainment.

§ 118-5 License application information requirement.

The application shall state the breed, sex, age, color and markings of the dog for which license and registration are sought and whether it is of a long- or short-haired variety, and also the name, street and post office address of the owner and the person who shall keep or harbor such dog. The information on such application and the registration number issued for the dog shall be preserved for a period of three years by the Township Clerk. In addition, he shall forward similar information to the State Department of Health and Senior Services each month on forms furnished by the Department. Registration numbers shall be issued in the order of the applications.

§ 118-6 Dogs licensed in other states.

A. Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Township any dog licensed in another state for the current year, and bearing a registration tag, and who shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the Township for a period of more than 90 days shall immediately at the end of such period apply for a license and registration tag for each such dog.

B. Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Township any unlicensed dog and shall keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the Township for a period of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license and registration tag for each such dog.

§ 118-7 Removal of registration tags.

No person, except an officer in the performance of his duties, shall remove a registration tag from the collar of any dog without the consent of the owner, nor shall any person attach a registration tag to a dog for which it was not issued.

§ 118-8 Placement of moneys collected for licenses.

A. License fees and other moneys collected or received under the provisions of this article, except registration tag fees, shall be forwarded to the Treasurer of the Township within 30 days after collection or receipt and shall be placed in a special account separate from any of the other accounts of the Township. They shall be used for the following purposes only: for collecting, keeping and disposing of dogs liable to seizure under this article; for local prevention and control of rabies; for providing antirabic treatment under the direction of the Local Board of Health for any person known or suspected to have been exposed to rabies; for all other purposes prescribed by the statutes of New Jersey governing the subject; and for administering the provisions of this article. Any unexpended balance remaining in such special account shall be retained therein until the end of the third fiscal year following and may be used for any of the purposes set forth in this section. At the end of the third fiscal year following, and at the end of each fiscal year thereafter, there shall be transferred from such special account to the general funds of the Township any amount then in such account which is in excess of the total amount paid into the special account during the last two fiscal years next preceding.

B. The registration tag fee of $1 for each dog shall be forwarded within 30 days after the collection by the Township Clerk to the State Department of Health and Senior Services.

§ 118-9 Annual canvass of dogs.

The Animal Control Officer of the Township shall annually cause a canvass to be made of all dogs owned, kept or harbored within the limits of the Township and shall report, on or before September 1 of each year, to the Clerk of the Township, the Board of Health of the Township and the State Department of Health and Senior Services the result thereof, setting forth in separate columns the names and addresses of persons owning, keeping or harboring such dogs; the number of licensed dogs owned, kept or harbored by each of said persons, together with the registration numbers of each of said dogs; and the number of unlicensed dogs owned, kept or harbored by each of said persons, together with a complete description of each of said unlicensed dogs.

§ 118-10 Appointment of Animal Control Officer.

The Township Committee shall appoint an Animal Control Officer, whose duty it shall be to enforce the provisions of this article. The Township Committee shall also have the power to appoint one or more persons, to be known as "dogcatchers," who may impound unlicensed dogs running at large in violation of the provisions of this article.

§ 118-11 Duties of Animal Control Officer.

A. The Animal Control Officer shall take into custody and impound, or cause to be taken into custody and impounded, and thereafter destroyed or disposed of as provided in this section:

(1) Any dog off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or harboring said dog, which said official or his agent or agents have reason to believe is a stray dog.

(2) Any dog off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or harboring said dog without a current registration tag on his collar.

(3) Any female dog in season off the premises of the owner or of the person keeping or harboring said dog.

(4) Any dog or other animal which is suspected to be rabid.

(5) Any dog or other animal off the premises of the owner reported to, or observed by, a certified animal control officer to be ill, injured or creating a threat to public health, safety or welfare or otherwise interfering with the enjoyment of property.

B. Any animal so seized shall be liable to be disposed of or destroyed if not claimed within seven days of seizure, or within seven days of service of notice of such seizure where notice has been given as required by N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.16. The Animal Control Officer shall ensure that all the requirements of N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.16 have been complied with before any such animal is redeemed or destroyed, including the requirements for notice of seizure, service of notice and payment of detention expenses.

C. After observation, any animal seized under this section suspected of being rabid shall be immediately reported to the executive officer of the Local Board of Health and to the Department of Health and Senior Services.

§ 118-12 Seizure and impoundment of dogs.

Any officer or agent authorized or empowered to perform any duty under this article is hereby authorized to go upon any premises to seize, for impounding, any dog or dogs which he may lawfully seize and impound when such officer is in immediate pursuit of such dog or dogs, except upon the premises of the owner of the dog if the owner is present and forbids the same.

§ 118-13 Dogs which habitually bark and cry.

No person shall keep, harbor or maintain any dog which habitually barks and cries. "Habitual" barking or crying shall be deemed to be that which is continuous and which occurs for periods of 30 minutes or longer, which periods are so close together as to reasonably cause the annoyance and discomfort of persons in the Township.

§ 118-14 Dogs at large.

No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog shall suffer or permit it to run at large upon the public streets or in any public park or in any public building or in any other public place within the Township.

§ 118-15 Dogs causing injury or damage.

No person owning, keeping or harboring a dog shall permit or suffer it to do any injury, or to do any damage to any lawn, shrubbery, flowers, grounds or property.

§ 118-16 Vicious dogs.

It shall be the duty of the Animal Control Officer to receive and investigate complaints against dogs, and when any dog complained against shall be deemed by such Animal Control Officer to be a vicious dog, as herein defined, the said officer shall report the facts to the Judge of the Township, who shall thereupon cause the owner or person harboring such dog to be notified, in writing, of the complaint against such dog and to appear before said Judge at a stated time and place. The Judge, at the time set for such hearing, shall inquire into the facts and give all interested persons an opportunity to be heard under oath and to be represented by counsel. The Judge shall decide in accordance with the evidence before him; and if the Judge shall decide that such dog complained of is a vicious dog, as defined by this chapter, notice of such decision shall be given to the owner or persons harboring such dog. No dog which has been determined to be a vicious dog shall be permitted to run at large or be upon any street or public place in the Township except while securely muzzled and under leash as provided in this chapter, and the owner or person harboring any such vicious dog who shall suffer or permit such dog to run at large or be upon any street or public place in said Township while not securely muzzled and under leash shall be guilty of a violation of this chapter.

§ 118-17 Number of dogs on any one property restricted; kennel licenses.

The ownership, harboring or keeping of any number of dogs in excess of four on any one property within the Township may only be done by the procurement of a kennel license. Kennel licenses shall be issued in accordance with the procedures established in N.J.S.A. 4:19-15.8.

§ 118-18 Violations and penalties.

Any person or persons convicted of a violation of any of the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days, or both, in the discretion of the Judge, except as otherwise provided in N.J.S.A. 4:19-1 et seq.