Township of Hillsborough, NJ Kennels and Pet Shops

Any establishment wherein or whereon the business of boarding or selling dogs or breeding dogs for sale is carried on on a regular basis, except a pet shop. Every place where five or more dogs of licensing age are kept or maintained for commercial purposes shall be considered a kennel.

OWNER

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

PET SHOP

Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen, not part of a kennel, wherein dogs for sale are kept or displayed.

POUND

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

SHELTER

Any establishment where five or more dogs of licensing age are received, housed and distributed without charge.

§ 315-2 Permit required; application.

No person, firm, corporation or owner shall operate or maintain a kennel, pet shop, pound, shelter or grooming establishment without first obtaining a permit therefor from the Board of Health.

The application for a permit shall describe the premises where the establishment is located or is proposed to be located and the purpose or purposes for which it is to be maintained and shall be in compliance with the local and state rules and regulations governing the location and sanitation of such establishments and be in compliance with this chapter. Said application shall have annexed to it blueprints of the building, showing the site and plans of the premises and building and grounds.

§ 315-3 Standards; rules and regulations.

No person, firm, corporation or owner shall operate or maintain a kennel, pet shop, pound, shelter or grooming establishment except in accordance with the following standards and according to the following rules and regulations:

At no time should any part of the residence be used as a kennel.

In kennels and shelters, the dogs shall be confined to a secure enclosure. Run areas shall be connected thereto so that dogs cannot reasonably come in contact with other dogs.

In pet shops, the dogs or other animals shall be confined to a secure enclosure and the run areas connected thereto so that they cannot reasonably come in contact with other animals.

The size, location and sanitary facilities of secure enclosures and run areas connected thereto in kennels, pet shops and shelters shall be such that dogs and other animals cannot cause a nuisance.

Buildings used for kennels, pet shops, grooming establishments and shelters shall comply in all respects with the Building and Zoning Codes of the Township of Hillsborough.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 145, Uniform Construction Codes, and Ch. 188, Land Use and Development.

All secure enclosures, except shelters, shall be constructed of impervious washable material. The floors of secure enclosures and run areas shall have a concrete steel-troweled base or other base approved by the Board of Health and shall be pitched to provide proper drainage to drains and gutters which are connected to an approved subsurface septic system or sewer line, if available.

The buildings used for kennels, pet shops, pounds and shelters shall at all times have hot and cold potable water; be maintained at a minimum temperature of 55º F., except where a certain breed of dog requires a lower temperature; have facilities for washing and sanitizing utensils in a manner approved by the Board of Health; and have windows and doors which are screened and provide adequate ventilation so that the premises are free from insects and foul odors.

Kennels and pounds shall have a room or rooms for segregating dogs or other animals to provide for the following circumstances:

(1)

Dogs and other animals that are diseased or which have been exposed to disease.

(2)

Dogs and other animals that are ill-tempered.

(3)

Dogs or other animals which have had contact with a known or suspected rabid animal.

Facilities for the humane destruction of dogs or other animals and the disposal of carcasses shall be approved by the Board of Health.

Supplies of food and bedding shall be stored in facilities which adequately protect such supplies against infestation or contamination by vermin. Refrigeration shall be provided for supplies of perishable food.

Provision shall be made for the removal and disposal of animal and food wastes, bedding and debris. Disposal facilities shall be so provided and operated as to minimize vermin infestation, odors and disease hazards.

Premises (building and grounds) shall be kept clean and in good repair in order to protect the animals from injury and to facilitate the prescribed husbandry practices set forth in these rules and regulations. Premises shall remain free of accumulations of trash. Insects, ectoparasites and avian and mammalian pests shall be controlled effectively.

§ 315-4 Rabid animals.

Any person operating or employed at a kennel, pet shop, pound, shelter or grooming establishment who observes or otherwise has reason to believe that any animal is or may be rabid shall immediately notify the Board of Health or the State Department of Health.

All dogs or other animals which have had contact with a known or suspected rabid animal shall be segregated.

§ 315-5 Records.

Commencing with the effective date of this chapter, the owner or operator of each kennel, pet shop, pound or shelter shall be responsible for and shall maintain a record showing:

(1)

Description of each dog received.

(2)

License number of each dog.

Breed.

Age.

Sex.

Name, address and telephone number of person from whom such dog was acquired.

(7)

Date when each dog was disposed of and the name, address and telephone number of the person to whom such dog was sold or otherwise transferred.

These records shall be kept at the permitted premises for two years after the date of disposal of such dog or removal from the permitted premises and shall be available to any agent of the Township government, the Board of Health and the State Department of Health.

§ 315-6 Application fees.

[Added 7-11-1977]

An application for a permit to maintain a kennel, pet shop, pound, shelter or grooming establishment shall be completed and submitted to the Clerk of Hillsborough Township by each owner. The application fee shall be as follows:

Shelter: $10 per annum, in addition to the Township licensing fee for each and every dog.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 117, Animals, § 117-11.

Kennel and all other establishments: $50 per annum.

§ 315-7 Forwarding of information to state agency.

The Township Clerk of the Township of Hillsborough is hereby designated as the official who shall forward to the State Department of Health a list of all permitted kennels, pet shops, shelters, pounds and grooming establishments within 30 days after the permits are issued, which list shall include the name and address of the permittee and the kind of permit issued.

§ 315-8 Violations and penalties.

Any person, firm or corporation who violates or who fails or refuses to comply with the provisions of this chapter shall be liable to a penalty of not less than $5 nor more than $50 for each offense, to be recovered in the name of the Board of Health of Hillsborough Township, and if any defendant refuses or neglects to pay forthwith the amount of a judgment rendered against him and the costs and charges incident thereto, such defendant shall be committed to the county jail for a period not exceeding 10 days in the case of a first conviction and, in the case of a second, subsequent or continuing violation, for a period not exceeding 30 days.