Pet Owners’ Guide to Jersey City Pet Ordinances
Just like every locale in the U.S., there are pet ordinances that Jersey City pet parents must know and comply with. This is not a bad thing ― it’s not some kind of dark government conspiracy ― indeed, it’s a good thing. Many of these ordinances have been on the state books for a long time. In fact, most of the pet laws don’t pertain to just Jersey City, they are state-wide. Every pet-owner and pet facilitator should be familiar with these laws. They are in place to protect property, the public-at-large, all pet owners, and all domestic animals from damages, abuse, diseases, and injuries.
That said, we believe it’s important that all Jersey City pet owners, and visitors with pets, are aware of our local pet laws. So, please read on to learn more about it in our Pet Owner’s Guide to Jersey City Pet Ordinances.
For all animals (including domestic and wild; pets and non-pets) see the official Jersey City Animal Ordinances, Chapter 90, for all local animal keeping laws. You can also go here for an easy-to-read interpretation of New Jersey State pet laws. It’s always best to check these out to ensure you have access to the most complete and up-to-date local ordinances.
Jersey City Pet Ordinances/Laws
1. All dogs 7 months and older must be licensed and wearing valid tags.
It Is The Law, like all municipalities, JC licensing allows our city animal control staff to maintain ownership information about pets. These licensing fees help to offset the cost of rabies prevention programs and other JC animal control initiatives like public dog parks and dog runs.
2. A city leash law applies to every dog while in any public space.
Leashes used in public spaces cannot be more than 6 feet long to aid in dog control and restraint. The purpose of the leash law is to help protect other people and pets. It is also to protect your dog from fights, street accidents, and/or other injury.
3. All solid dog poop must be picked up and properly disposed of.
The reasons for this ought to be obvious to everyone. But, mainly it’s for disease prevention and sanitation. You can be fined up to $250 in JC for not picking up your dog’s waste and sanitarily disposing of it.
4. All animal bites to people have to be reported to the Health Department.
Not only can bites cause painful injury, but they can also transmit infectious and dangerous diseases. It is one of the department staff’s many jobs to record and monitor animal bites. All dogs that have bitten anyone must be quarantined and monitored for 10 days―even if they have been rabies vaccinated and wear a current tag.
5. Rescued and otherwise found animals have to be reported to Animal Control.
Usually, all stray pets must be taken to a licensed shelter. The shelter is required to hold the stray for 7 days, unless picked up by the owner. Permission is sometimes given by Animal Control or the shelter for the finder to foster the stray until the owner is found. Also, strays picked up by Animal Control will be impounded. Once impounded, the stray pet will be maintained for up to 7 days pending notification of the owner, if possible. After 7 days the animal will be available for legal adoption if the owner is not found or surrenders the pet.
6. Abandonment of any pet or domestic animal is an illegal act in New Jersey.
In Jersey City a $1,000 fine can be assessed for the crime of animal abandonment or falsely reporting an animal’s origin or ownership. Likewise, animal abuse is a punishable crime. Pets and other domestic animals, such as horses or llamas, are the legal responsibility of the owner and/or care giver.
7. Live animals of any kind are not allowed to be in any food establishment.
This includes all restaurants, cafes, grocery stores, c-stores, food markets, food courts, etc. The only exception to this law is disabled people with licensed service dogs. By their own discretion, restaurant owners can allow patrons with pets to be served in an outside seating area only.
We hope this blog article on our Jersey City pet ordinances has been helpful and informative to you. Our Jersey City pet owners and visitors with pets should be aware of and compliant with all of the state and local pet laws. These ordinances exist to protect every person here, their pets, and their property.
