[Adopted 2-11-1992 by Ord. No. 1-92]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Dog or cat.
Any person or agency designated or certified by the State
of New Jersey to enforce the provisions of this article.
Any member of the domestic feline species, male, female,
or altered.
Any cat which has attained the age of seven months or which
possesses a set of permanent teeth.
Any room or group of rooms, cage or exhibition pen, not part
of a kennel, wherein cats for sale are kept or displayed.
Riverdale Board of Health.
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
When applied to the proprietorship of a cat, includes every
person having a right of property (or custody) in such cat and every
person that has such cat in his/her keeping or who harbors or maintains
a cat or knowingly permits a cat to remain on or about any premises
occupied by that person.
Any individual, corporation, partnership, organization or
institution commonly recognized by law as a unit.
A.
Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall
own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat over seven months of age with
the Borough of Riverdale unless such cat is vaccinated and licensed.
The provisions of this section do not apply to cats held in a cattery
or those held by a state or federal licensed research facility or
a veterinary establishment where cats are received or kept for diagnostic,
medical, surgical, or other treatments or licensed animal shelters,
pounds, kennels or pet shops.
B.
Vaccination. All cats shall be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian in accordance with the latest Compendium of Animal Rabies Vaccines and Recommendations for Immunization, published by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, except as provided for in Subsection D.
C.
Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination
shall be issued to the owner of each animal vaccinated on a form recommended
by the state.
D.
Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements
of such vaccination for a specified period of time by the local Board
of Health, upon presentation of a veterinarian's certification stating
that, because of an infirmity or other physical condition or regimen
of therapy, the inoculation of such cat shall be deemed inadvisable.
A.
Cats must have license number displayed. Any person
who shall own, keep or harbor a cat of licensing age shall annually
apply for and procure from the clerk of the municipality or other
official designated by the governing body thereof to license cats
in the municipality in which he/she resides a license and official
registration tag with license number or a registration sleeve for
each cat so owned, kept or harbored and shall place upon such cat
a collar or other device with the license number securely fastened
thereto or displayed. Acceptable methods of displaying license numbers
shall include but are not limited to breakaway or elastic collars.
License tags or sleeves are not transferable.
B.
Time for applying for license. The owner of any newly
acquired cat of licensing age or of any cat which attains licensing
age shall make application for a license tag or sleeve for such cat
within 10 days after such acquisition or age attainment. This requirement
will not apply to a nonresident keeping a cat within the Borough of
Riverdale for no longer than 90 days.
C.
Cats brought into jurisdiction.
(1)
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought
into this Borough of Riverdale any cat licensed in another state for
the current year and bearing a registration tag or sleeve and shall
keep the same or permit the same to be kept within the Borough of
Riverdale for a period of more than 90 days shall immediately apply
for a license and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat.
(2)
Any person who shall bring or cause to be brought
into this Borough of Riverdale any unlicensed cat and shall keep the
same or permit the same to be kept within the Borough of Riverdale
for a period of more than 10 days shall immediately apply for a license
and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat.
D.
Application, contents and preservation of information.
The application shall state the breed, sex, age, color and markings
of the cat for which license and registration are sought and whether
it is of a longhaired or shorthaired variety, also the name, street
and post office address of the owner and the person who shall keep
or harbor such cat. The information on said application and the registration
number issued for the cat shall be preserved for a period of three
years by the Clerk or other local official designated to license cats
in the municipality.
E.
License forms and tags. License forms and official
tags or sleeves shall be furnished by the municipality and shall be
numbered serially and shall bear the year of issuance and the name
of the municipality.
F.
Evidence of inoculation with rabies vaccine or certification of exemption; requirement for license. No license, registration tag or sleeve for any cat shall be issued unless the owner thereof provides evidence that the cat to be licensed and registered has been inoculated with a rabies vaccine of a type approved by and administered in accordance with the recommendations of the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Human Services or has been certified exempt as provided by § 173A-10 of this article. The rabies inoculation shall be administered by a duly licensed veterinarian or by such other veterinarian permitted by law to do the same.
G.
License fee schedule. A license shall be issued after
payment of a fee of $10 for each neutered cat and $15 for each unneutered
cat. Persons who fail to obtain a license as required within the time
period specified in this section will be subject to a delinquent fee
of $10 from March 1 until the last day of March, and an additional
fee of $5 per month shall be charged for each calendar month beginning
with April 1 that the required license and metal registration tag
is not obtained.
[Amended 2-21-2012 by Ord. No. BOH 1-2012]
H.
Fees; renewals; expiration date of license.
(1)
A license from another municipality shall be
accepted. The person applying for the license and registration tag
and/or sleeve shall pay the fee fixed or authorized. The fee for the
renewal of a license and registration tag or sleeve shall be the same
as for the original, and said license, registration tag or sleeve
and renewal thereof shall expire of May 30 in the following year.
(2)
Only one license and registration tag or sleeve
shall be required in the licensing year for any cat in this Borough
of Riverdale. Any valid New Jersey license tag or sleeve issued by
a New Jersey municipality shall be accepted by this municipality as
evidence of compliance.
I.
Loss of license. If a license tag or sleeve has been
misplaced or lost, the Borough Clerk may issue a duplicate license
and/or registration sleeve for that particular cat at a fee of $1.
J.
Proof of licensing. Proof of licensing shall be produced
by any person owning, keeping, maintaining or harboring a cat upon
the request of any health official, police officer, animal control
officer or other authorized person.
No person shall hinder, molest or interfere
with anyone authorized or empowered to perform any duty under this
article.
A.
License fees and other moneys collected or received
under the provisions of this article shall be forwarded to the Treasurer
of the municipality and shall be placed in a special account separate
from any of the other accounts of the municipality and shall be used
for the following purposes only:
(1)
Collecting, keeping and disposing of cats liable
to seizure.
(2)
Local prevention and control of rabies.
(3)
Providing antirabies treatment under the direction
of the local Board of Health for any person known or suspected to
have been exposed to rabies.
(4)
Administering the provisions of this article.
B.
Any unexpected balance remaining in such special account
shall be retained 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 said 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 municipality 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.
Except as otherwise provided in this article,
any person who violates or who fails or refuses to comply with this
article shall be liable to a penalty of not less than $5 nor more
than $100 for each offense, to be recovered by and in the name of
the local Board of Health or by and in the name of the municipality.
