[Adopted 12-23-1997 by Ord. No. 97-11 (Ch.
77, Art. III, of the 1985 Code)]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
For the purpose of this article, "animal" shall mean dog
or cat.
Any person or agency designated by the Village or authorized
by law to enforce the provisions of this article.
Any member of the domestic feline species; male, female or
neutered.
Any cat which has attained the age of three 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.
The Village Clerk of the Village of Ridgefield Park shall
be charged with administering the issuance and revocation of permits
and licenses under the provisions of this article.
Rendered permanently incapable of reproduction, as certified
by a licensed veterinarian.
When applied to the proprietorship of a cat, shall include
every person having a right of property or custody in such cat and
every person who 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.
Inoculation against rabies performed by a licensed veterinarian
or such person permitted by law to do the same under the supervision
of a 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.
Any person licensed to practice veterinary medicine by any
state of the United States.
A.
No family shall own, keep or harbor more than three
cats per household.
B.
No family shall be entitled to apply for more than
three licenses in order to license cats under this article.
C.
A family shall include all residents using a particular
premises, related or not related, who are considered as either the
owner of a premises or a tenant paying rent to a landlord. Under no
circumstance shall there be more than six cats licensed to one premises
which is a two-, three- or four-family dwelling or three cats per
apartment, condominium or co-op unit.
A.
Vaccination and license requirements. No person shall
be the owner of a cat of licensing age within the Village unless such
cat is licensed and has a vaccination which was administered within
the last 365 days or for which a valid vaccination certificate indicates
an expiration date occurring in the future. The provisions of this
section do not apply to cats held in a veterinary establishment or
licensed animal shelters, pounds, kennels or pet shops, where cats
are received or kept for diagnostic, medical, surgical or other treatments.
B.
Vaccination certificate. A certificate of vaccination
shall be issued to the owner of each cat which has been administered
a vaccination in a form recommended by the state.
C.
Exemptions. Any cat may be exempted from the requirements
of such vaccination for a specified period of time by the Village
Clerk upon presentation of a veterinarian's certificate stating that
because of an infirmity or other physical condition, or regimen of
therapy, the vaccination of such act shall be deemed inadvisable.
A.
Cats must have a license number displayed. Any person
who shall own, keep or harbor a cat of licensing age shall apply for
and procure from the Village Clerk a license and official registration
tag with a license number or a registration sleeve for each cat owned,
kept or harbored, and shall place upon such cat a collar or other
device with the license number securely fastened or displayed thereto.
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 Village for
no longer than 90 days.
C.
Cats brought into jurisdiction. Any person who shall
bring or cause to be brought into the Village any cat licensed in
another state for the current year and bearing registration tag or
sleeve, and shall keep the same or permit the same to kept within
the Village for a period of more than 90 days, shall immediately apply
for a license and registration tag or sleeve for each such cat. Any
person who shall bring or cause to be brought into the Village any
unlicensed cat, and shall keep same or permit same to be kept within
the Village 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; preservation of information.
The application shall state the breed, sex, age, color and markings
of the cat for which license is sought and whether it is of a long-
or short-haired variety; the date on which such cat was last vaccinated
against rabies and the expiration date of such vaccination if it is
greater than one year from the vaccination date; the name, street,
post office address and telephone number of the owner, the person
who shall keep or harbor such cat and any tattoo which shall be used
to uniquely identify the 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 Village Department of Health or
other official designated to license cats.
E.
License forms and tags. License forms and official
tags or sleeves shall be furnished by the Village and shall be numbered
serially and shall bear the year of issuance and the name of the Village
of Ridgefield Park.
F.
Evidence of inoculation with rabies vaccine or certification of exemption; requirement for license. The Village Clerk shall not grant such license and official registration tag or sleeve for any cat, 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 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 § 123-16C 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 fee shall be issued
after payment of a fee of $15 for each unneutered cat and $10 for
each neutered 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 and may be subject to any other penalties
provided by this article.
[Amended 11-27-2007 by Ord. No. 07-10]
H.
Renewals; expiration date of license.
(1)
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 shall
be the same as for the original, and said license, registration tag
or sleeve and renewal thereof shall expire on December 31 in the following
year.
(2)
Only one license and registration tag or sleeve shall
be required in the licensing year for any cat in the Village. Any
valid New Jersey license tag or sleeve issued by a New Jersey municipality
shall be accepted by the Village as evidence of compliance.
I.
Loss of license. If a license tag or sleeve has been
misplaced or lost, the Village may issue a duplicate license or registration
sleeve for that particular cat for a fee of $5.
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.
K.
Interfering with persons performing duties under this
article. No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with anyone authorized
or empowered to perform any duty under this article.
L.
Disposition of fee collected. License fees and other
moneys collected or received under the provisions of this article
shall be forwarded to the Treasurer of the Village and shall be placed
in a special account separate from any of the other accounts of the
Village and shall be used for the following purposes only: collecting,
keeping and disposing of cats liable to seizure, for local prevention
and control of rabies, providing anti-rabies treatment under the direction
of the Village's Department of Health for any person known or suspected
to have been exposed to rabies and for administering the provisions
of this article. Any unexpended 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 Village 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.
[Amended 9-26-2006 by Ord. No. 06-15]
A.
The Village 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 cat off the premises of the owner or of the person
keeping or harboring such cat which the Animal Control Officer or
his agent has reason to believe is a stray cat.
(2)
Any cat off the premises of the owner or of the person
keeping or harboring such cat without a current registration tag on
its collar.
(3)
Any female cat in season off the premises of the owner
or of the person keeping or harboring such cat.
B.
If any cat so seized wears a collar or registration
tag having inscribed thereon or attached thereto the name and address
of any person or if the owner or the person keeping or harboring such
cat is known, the Animal Control Officer shall forthwith serve on
the person whose address is given on the collar or on the owner or
the person keeping or harboring such cat, if known, a notice in writing,
stating that the cat has been seized and will be liable to be disposed
of or destroyed if not claimed within seven days after service of
the notice.
C.
A notice under this section may be served either by
personally delivering it to the person on whom it is to be served
or by leaving it at the person's usual or last known place of abode
or at the address given on the collar or registration tag.
D.
When any cat so seized has been detained for seven
days after notice, when notice can be given as above set forth, and
if the owner or person keeping or harboring such cat has not claimed
such cat and paid all expenses incurred by reason if its detention,
including maintenance not exceeding $4 per day, and if the cat is
unlicensed at the time of the seizure and the owner or person keeping
or harboring such cat has not produced a license and registration
tag for such cat, the Animal Control Officer may cause the cat to
be offered for adoption of destroyed.[1]
[Amended 9-26-2006 by Ord. No. 06-15]
Except as otherwise provided in this Article III, any person who violates or who fails or refuses to comply with the provisions of this article shall be liable to a penalty of not less than $50 nor more than $500.
