Title 4, Title 4: AGRICULTURE AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS

4:20-15. Failure of member of township committee to act; penalty A member of a township committee who upon due notice, and the request of any person interested to perform any of the duties assigned to him by this chapter, shall refuse or neglect forthwith to attend accordingly, s…

4:20-16. Fees of township committee members A member of a township committee shall be allowed, for the time he is engaged in the performance of duties under this chapter, one dollar per day and fifty cents for a half day, to be paid by the person or persons employing him. When su…

4:20-17. Notice as prerequisite to removal of partition fence When a partition fence is made between 2 persons as directed in this chapter and either of them shall cease to use his adjoining lands for the pasturage or keeping of animals and shall desire to give up his improvement…

4:20-18. Agreements respecting partition fences Nothing contained in this chapter shall render void a written agreement respecting the making or maintenance of partition fences.

4:20-19. Registration of agreements and certificates; fee The clerk of a township shall provide, at the expense of the township, a book for the purpose of registering written agreements of persons relative to a division of the fence or fences of their adjoining lands. Such agreem…

4:20-2. Sufficiency of partition fences A fence set in the line of partition between persons either of whom shall improve his adjoining lands shall, in addition to compliance with section 4:20-1 of this title, be so close, strong and sufficient as to prevent sheep from going thro…

4:20-21. Failure of clerk to register; penalty A township clerk who shall fail to enter or register an agreement or certificate such as is referred to in section 4:20-19 of this Title, within two weeks after it is made and delivered to him with a tender of the fees, shall forfeit…

4:20-22. Damages by animals breaking through lawful fences When horses, cattle or sheep shall get over, creep through or break down any fence declared lawful by this chapter, the owner of the animals shall pay to the person injured all damages occasioned thereby, to be appraised …

4:20-23. Impounding and sale of such animals The person injured as provided in section 4:20-22 of this title may take and impound the animals found trespassing or doing damage, as therein provided, in his field or other inclosure for twenty-four hours and shall give notice thereo…

4:20-24. Impounding and sale where no public pound Where there is no public pound kept within the township, the person damaged by animals trespassing as provided in section 4:20-22 of this title may impound them in his own field or inclosure until redeemed as provided in section …

4:20-25. Molestation of gate in partition fence; penalty; damages and impounding of animals A person who shall stake, shore or leave open or insecure, or cut, break, pull down or destroy or in any way leave a gate, erected as a part of a partition fence as authorized in section 4…

4:20-26. Effect of failure to maintain fences on damages and impounding An owner or possessor of land who shall fail to make and keep in good repair the fence or fences about his own land as directed by this chapter, shall not have a cause of action for damages caused by animals …

4:20-27. Effect of failure to maintain portion of partition fence A person to whom a part or share of a partition fence is assigned to make or amend and maintain as provided in this chapter, who shall neglect or refuse, after due notice, to make and repair such part or share, sha…

4:20-28. Injuring animals trespassing for want of sufficient fence An owner or possessor of land who is damaged for want of a lawful and sufficient fence and who shall hurt or cause any horses, cattle or sheep to be hurt, wounded, lamed, killed or destroyed, shall be liable to pa…

4:20-29. Damages to animals by barbed wire partition fences A person who, without the consent of the adjoining landowner, shall erect a partition fence of barbed wire or wire on which barbs or points are strung or fastened shall be liable for all damages which may be caused there…

4:20-3. Partition fences of barbed wire Fences between the lands of adjoining landowners constructed of barbed wire or wire on which barbs or points are strung or fastened shall not be deemed lawful fences unless their erection is consented to by the adjoining owner, and such fen…

4:20-30. Fences in highway for preservation of hedges A person who shall plant a hedge for fencing upon the line of a public highway three rods or more wide, may erect and keep up, for the preservation of such hedge for a period not exceeding six years from the planting thereof, …

4:20-31. Ploughing or digging close to hedge prohibited Neither the officer, board or body having control of the highways nor any other person shall plough, dig or otherwise turn up or remove any earth or soil within four feet of a hedge planted upon the line of a public highway,…

4:20-32. Violations of sections 4:20-30 and 4:20-31; penalty; damages Any person who shall offend against the provisions of sections 4:20-30 and 4:20-31 of this Title, or shall willfully injure, dig up, or otherwise deface or destroy any hedge sets, hedges or fence erected for th…

4:20-4. Gates as part of partition fence Swinging gates erected as a part of a partition fence between adjoining lands shall be considered a lawful fence if they are four feet six inches high, and so close and strong as to prevent horses, cattle and sheep from going through or un…

4:20-5. Sufficiency of ditches as fences in meadows Ditches and drains made in or through salt marshes and meadows for fencing and draining them, which are five feet wide and three feet deep, and ditches and drains in or through other meadows, which are nine feet wide at the surf…

4:20-6. Sufficiency as fences of things equivalent thereto Brooks, rivers, ponds, creeks and hedges, or other matter or thing equivalent to a fence as provided in this article, may be adjudged lawful fences in the discretion of those who may be called upon as prescribed in this c…

4:20-6.1 Matching grant program established; deer fencing. 1. a. There is established in the Department of Agriculture a matching grant program for the purpose of providing funding for wildlife fencing to the owner, operator, or lessee of any commercial farm that does not qualify…

4:20-7. Duty to make and maintain portion of partition fence Where the lands of any 2 or more persons shall join each other and 1 or more of them are using said lands for the pasturage or keeping of animals, each of them so using said lands shall make or amend and maintain a just…

4:20-8. Failure to make and maintain portion of partition fence When a person after due notice shall fail to make or amend and maintain his part or proportion of a partition fence as required by section 4:20-7 of this Title, the other person may make or amend and maintain the sam…

4:20-9. Apportioning of partition fence for erection and maintenance The place where a partition fence is or shall be made, between adjoining lands both used for the pasturage or the keeping of animals, shall be equally divided, regard being had to the quantity of fence necessary…

4:21-1. Right to impound animals running at large A person may drive or convey to the public pound in a township, horses, cattle, sheep or swine found running at large in the streets or highways of the township, and impound them.

4:21-2. Right to impound trespassing animals A person who shall discover stray horses, cattle, sheep or swine upon his improved lands in a township may drive or convey them to the public pound in the township.

4:21-3. Interference with impounding of animals; penalty A person, having charge of horses, cattle, sheep or swine found running at large in the streets or highways or trespassing upon the improved lands of another, who shall attempt to hinder or take away such animals from a per…

4:21-4. Right to drive animals over streets and highways Nothing in this article shall debar a person from driving horses, cattle, sheep or swine along or over the streets or highways of a township to or from pasture, or from using the streets or highways for the purpose of drivi…

4:21-5. Fee for taking stray or trespassing animals to pound For bringing horses, cattle, sheep or swine to the pound as authorized by sections 4:21-1 and 4:21-2 of this title, the person bringing them shall receive two dollars and fifty cents per head from the poundkeeper to be …

4:21-6. Poundkeeper's fees The poundkeeper shall have two dollars and fifty cents per head for letting in, two dollars and fifty cents per head for letting out and fifty cents per day or part thereof for feeding and keeping while in the pound.

4:21-7. Sale of impounded animals and disposition of proceeds If the owner of cattle, horses, sheep or swine impounded as provided in sections 4:21-1 and 4:21-2 of this title, shall not pay the charges for impounding and keeping such animals within five days after they are impoun…

4:21B-1. Establishment and operation to provide services for alteration of reproductive capacity; ordinance; fees Any municipality individually or two or more municipalities jointly may, by ordinance, provide for the establishment and operation of a clinic to provide services for…

4:21B-2. Notarized authorization by owner for consent and agreement to hold harmless Any animal which is presented at such clinic for alteration shall be accompanied by a notarized authorization signed by the owner thereof consenting to such alteration and agreeing to hold the cl…

4:21B-3. Terms and conditions for maintenance of animal while in custody of clinic Any municipality or municipalities enacting an ordinance as authorized by this act shall further provide for the regulation of such clinic with respect to the terms and conditions under which any a…

4:22-11.11 Training course for animal protection law enforcement. 11. a. The Police Training Commission, in collaboration with the Attorney General, shall develop or approve a training course for animal protection law enforcement, which shall include but need not be limited to in…

4:22-11.12 Assistance from governmental entities. 12. All State, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies and all county and municipal health agencies shall, upon request, make every reasonable effort to assist any municipal humane law enforcement officer or humane law enfo…

4:22-14.1 Responsibilities of municipal governing body. 25 a. Except as provided in subsection e. of this section, each governing body of a municipality shall: (1) submit at least one applicant for designation as a municipal humane law enforcement officer pursuant to section 26 o…

4:22-14.10 Actions by Attorney General. 34. a. The Attorney General shall take any action necessary to facilitate the reincorporation of the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as a non-profit corporation independent of the State. Notwithstanding any State…

4:22-14.2 Application for designation as municipal humane law enforcement officer. 26. a. (1) An application for designation as a municipal humane law enforcement officer shall be submitted by the governing body of a municipality to the chief law enforcement officer of the munici…

4:22-14.3 Eligibility. 27. Any humane law enforcement officer or agent appointed by a county society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, prior to the date of enactment of P.L.2017, c.331 (C.4:22-14.1 et al.), or the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal…

4:22-14.4 Actions of county prosecutor. 28. a. Each county prosecutor shall: (1) designate any municipal or county prosecutor as the animal cruelty prosecutor of the county, and may designate any assistant animal cruelty prosecutor as needed, who shall investigate, prosecute, and…

4:22-14.5 Submission of application. 29. a. (1) An application for designation as a humane law enforcement officer of a county society for the prevention of cruelty to animals pursuant to subsection a. of section 28 of P.L.2017, c.331 (C.4:22-14.4) shall be submitted by the gover…

4:22-14.6 Power, authority of designated officer. 30. a. Any law enforcement officer designated pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection a. of section 28 of P.L.2017, c.331 (C.4:22-14.4), or humane law enforcement officer of a county society for the prevention of cruelty to animal…

4:22-14.7 Duties of animal cruelty prosecutor. 31. An animal cruelty prosecutor shall: a. promote the interests of, and protect and care for, animals within the county; b. investigate and prosecute violations of article 2 of chapter 22 of Title 4 of the Revised Statutes; c. reque…