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Jersey City proposes higher health and animal-control fees, new rules for coops, kennels and reclaim charges
Summary
City health officials presented ordinances updating multiple health-related chapters of the municipal code, raising many license fees (generally about 40%), moving some animal-control authority back to animal control, and changing chicken coop and kennel license rates and escalating reclaim fees.
Health department officials asked the Municipal Council to approve a set of ordinances that change licensing and fee schedules across public-health and animal-control codes, including new charges for chicken coops and kennel operations and escalating reclaim fees for animals returned multiple times.
Paul Bellenboyers, the health officer, and Mark Burns of the Division of Animal Care and Control presented revisions to multiple chapters of the municipal code that consolidate authority and bring animal-control responsibilities back to the Division of Animal Care and Control. The council heard that the city’s animal-control ordinance was updated to conform more closely to state law and to restore responsibilities that had been delegated elsewhere over the previous decade.
Key fee changes presented by staff included increasing the annual chicken coop license from $50 to $70 and raising the kennel license from $10 to $200. The city also proposed an escalating reclaim fee for repeat animal reclaims: for example, reclaiming an unneutered dog would cost $75 for the first instance, $125 for the second and $200 for the third; a neutered cat reclaim would go from $15 to $15/$25/$35 for first/second/third occurrences respectively.
Separately, the municipal health officer described a broad fee-schedule update across multiple health licenses (barbershops, beauty salons, food establishments, laundries and dry-cleaners) generally reflecting roughly a 40% increase in many fees. Staff explained that the city had not updated many fees in several years and that fees are intended to rationally reflect inspection and administrative costs rather than serve as taxes.
Council members raised concerns about state licensing requirements for individual barbers (state law requires individual licenses rather than rental-seat models) and the affordability and accessibility of professional licensing; staff said state law constrains local action and that they have discussed outreach to state legislators about potential reforms. No final council vote on the ordinances was recorded during the caucus session.
