[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1; amended by Ord. No. 3886, 5-24-2005, § 3]
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.
The Health Officer, an animal control officer, a police officer
or any other authorized representative of the Township of Teaneck.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. II)]
Any animal of the domestic feline species; male, female or
altered.
Any cat which has attained the age of six months.
Any single-family detached dwelling condominium, townhouse,
cooperative or residential rental units.
Shall mean that the solid waste is removed at once, without
delay.
The Health Officer of the Township of Teaneck or any designated
representative charged with administering this article and/or issuing
or revoking licenses under the provisions of this article.
Every person having a right of property (or custody) in any
cat and every person who has a cat in his keeping or who harbors or
maintains a cat or knowingly permits a cat to remain on or about any
premises occupied by that person. The owner/keeper of a cat shall
be considered the initial owner/keeper of its kittens. A person who
continually feeds a stray cat shall be considered its owner/keeper.
Any individual, corporation, company, partnership, firm,
association or political subdivision of the state subject to municipal
jurisdiction.
Placement in a designated waste receptacle or other suitable
container and discarded in a refuse container which is regularly emptied
by the municipality or some other refuse collector; or disposal into
a system designed to convey domestic sewage for proper treatment and
removal.
Waste matter expelled from the bowels of the cat; excrement.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
No person shall abandon any cat, no matter what its age or condition,
within the Township.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
No owner shall permit or allow, either willfully or negligently,
any cat to create a nuisance upon the property of another or to destroy
or deface the property of another, whether the same be real or personal.
[Ord. No. 3886, 5-24-2005, § 4]
All cat owners and keepers are required to immediately and properly
dispose of their cat's solid waste deposited on any property, public
or private.
[Ord. No. 3886, 5-24-2005, § 4]
Any owner or keeper who requires the use of a disability assistance animal shall be exempt from the provisions of § 6-37.1 while such animal is being used for that purpose.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
No person shall own, keep, harbor or maintain any cat of licensing
age within the Township unless the cat is vaccinated against rabies
and licensed. All such cats shall be vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian
in accordance with the latest Compendium of Animals Rabies Vaccines
and Recommendations for Immunization, published by the National Association
of State Public Health Veterinarians. Newly acquired cats of licensing
age must be vaccinated within 10 days of acquisition and before a
permit or license will be issued.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
A certificate of vaccination shall be issued to the owner of
each cat vaccinated on a form recommended by the state and consistent
with Township requirements.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
The foregoing vaccination and licensing requirements shall not
apply to cats held by a state or federally licensed research facility
or a veterinary establishment where cats are received or kept for
diagnostic, medical, surgical or other treatment or licensed animal
shelters, pounds, kennels or pet shops.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
A cat may be exempted from the requirements of vaccination for
a specified period of time by an authorized agent upon presentation
of a veterinarian's certificate stating that, because of an infirmity
or other physical condition, regimen or therapy, the inoculation for
the cat is deemed inadvisable.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
Any person who owns, keeps, harbors or maintains a cat of licensing
age must apply for and procure annually from the licensing authority
a license and official registration tag with a license number for
each cat so owned, kept, harbored or maintained. Licenses and registration
tags shall not be transferable.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
Cat licenses shall be applied for during the month of March and shall be effective for the fiscal year beginning April 1. A late payment fee as set forth in Chapter 2, Appendix III, shall be levied for failure to obtain a license within 60 days of the effective date. The owner of any newly acquired cat of licensing age, or any cat which attains licensing age during any other period, must purchase a license within 10 days of such acquisition or age attainment.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
(a)
Any person who brings or causes any cat of licensing age to be brought
into the Township which is licensed in another state for the then-current
year and which bears a registration tag may keep or permit said cat
to be kept within the Township for a period of no more than 90 days,
unless a license and registration tag for such cat is applied for
and procured pursuant to the provisions of this article.
(b)
Any person who brings or causes to be brought any unlicensed cat
of licensing age into the Township may keep or permit said cat to
be kept within the Township for a period of no more than 10 days,
unless a license and registration tag for such cat is applied for
and procured pursuant to the provisions of this article.
(c)
Any valid New Jersey license and registration tag or similar-type
identification markers issued by a New Jersey municipality shall be
accepted by the Township as evidence of compliance with the provisions
of this article for the year of issuance of such license.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
The application shall state breed, sex, whether or not neutered,
date of birth, color and markings of the cat for which license and
registration tag are sought and whether it is of a long- or short-haired
variety and the names, streets and mailing addresses of the owner
and the person, if other than the owner, who shall keep, harbor or
maintain said 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 licensing authority.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
License forms and registration tags shall be furnished by the
licensing authority, shall be numbered sequentially, shall bear the
year of validity and the name of the Township. Licenses and registration
tags shall be valid from April 1 of a given year through March 31
of the immediately succeeding year.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1; amended at
time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
The Health Officer or other person designated by the licensing authority to license cats shall not grant a license for any cat unless written proof is provided that the cat to be licensed 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 Health and Human Services or has been certified as exempt as provided in § 6-41. The rabies inoculation shall be administered by a duly licensed veterinarian.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
The annual fee for the license required under this article shall be as set forth in Chapter 2, Appendix III.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1; at time of
adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
If a license tag has been misplaced or lost, the Health Officer or designated representative may issue a duplicate license tag for that particular cat at a fee as set forth in Chapter 2, Appendix III.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
The owner shall place and maintain upon each such cat a collar,
harness or other device with the registration tag securely fastened
thereto. Proof of licensing shall be produced by any person owning,
keeping, maintaining or harboring a cat upon the request of any authorized
agent of the Township.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
No person shall hinder, molest or interfere with any authorized
agent in the performance of any duty under this article.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
License fees and other moneys collected or received under the
provisions of this article shall be forwarded to the Township Chief
Financial Officer and shall be placed in the Animal Control Trust
Fund as authorized by the State of New Jersey.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
(a)
An authorized agent may take cats into custody and impound and later
destroy them, release them to the owner or offer them for adoption,
as provided within this section, in the following situations:
(b)
If any cat is taken into custody whose owner is known or which is
wearing a registration tag, an authorized agent shall attempt to contact
the owner. If the cat is not claimed by the owner or contact cannot
be made with the owner within 48 hours of seizure, a notice, in writing,
will be sent to the owner stating that the cat has been seized and
is subject to being offered for adoption or destroyed if not claimed
within seven days after the service of the notice.
(c)
A notice under this section shall be deemed to be effective if served
personally or by leaving it at the person's usual or last-known place
of abode or at the address given in the license application, or by
mailing to any such address by United States mail, postage prepaid.
(d)
An authorized agent may cause a cat to be offered for adoption or
destroyed in a manner causing as little pain as possible and consistent
with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 4:22-19 seven days after seizure,
provided that:
(1)
The cat was not wearing a valid registration tag at the time of seizure
and the owner is unknown; or
(2)
A notice was served as provided and the cat was not claimed; or
(3)
The owner or person keeping or harboring a cat which was unlicensed
at the time of seizure does not within a reasonable period of time,
produce a valid license and registration tag for the cat.
[Ord. No. 3444, 1-30-1996, § 1]
Penalties are found in § 1-6 of the Township Code.
