Woodbridge officials amend animal-control ordinance, say township lacks authority over SeaQuest/Woodbridge Aquarium

Woodbridge Town Council on second/third reading amended its 2007 ordinance on the keeping and control of non‑domestic animals to remove oversight of commercial entities such as SeaQuest and the new Woodbridge Aquarium, Mayor McCormick said.

The change, the mayor said, narrows the ordinance to residential properties and reflects the council’s legal review that state and federal agencies — specifically the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Agriculture — have jurisdiction over commercial animal attractions. “Quite simply, our existing ordinance is not legal and must be amended to eliminate any oversight on our part of a commercial entity subject to a higher level of governmental review and oversight,” Mayor McCormick said.

The amendment was taken by consent for second and third reading, a public hearing was opened and closed, and the ordinance was adopted and submitted to the mayor for approval as required by law. Council votes were recorded by voice; specific yes/no tallies were not provided in the public transcript.

The mayor told the council the 2007 ordinance was drafted in response to residents keeping farm animals on private property and “was never intended to apply to commercial entities.” He added the township cannot “assume approval authority over any of the attractions of the Woodbridge Aquarium because we have no legal right to do so.” The administration also said attempting to regulate a commercial attraction in this way would likely lead to litigation the township would lose.

Members of the public asked what the amendment would mean for animals currently held under the SeaQuest permit and whether federal agencies would now be responsible. A commenter identifying herself as Jignosha of Piscataway asked, “what would it mean for the animals that were under this permit?” Mister Nolan (staff member) answered that the change “would mean nothing” for those animals because the council concluded it never had jurisdiction over commercial animals and that the ordinance was designed for residential use.

The mayor reiterated that because SeaQuest and the new aquarium operate under state and federal oversight, “the state through the DEP and the country through the USDA are the entities in control of this matter, and they should be contacted with any concerns or questions.” He also said the township will not in the future hire veterinarians to enforce animal permits for commercial entities, a practice taxpayers previously covered when the township inspected SeaQuest.

The council proceeded to adopt the amendment by the consent calendar and closed the public hearing.

The ordinance change does not affect the township’s ability to regulate domestic pets (for example, cats and dogs) on private residential property under local code; the amendment specifically targets non‑domestic/commercial animal oversight. Any enforcement or welfare questions about animals at SeaQuest or the Woodbridge Aquarium, the mayor said, should be directed to New Jersey DEP or the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The council recorded no on‑the‑record motion to revoke previously issued commercial permits during this meeting; the mayor stated the township had decided not to issue a permit to the Woodbridge Aquarium going forward.