ASSEMBLY, No. 1127

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

 

 

By Assemblywoman MURPHY and Assemblyman AUGUSTINE

 

 

An Act permitting the staggering of dog license expiration dates and amending P.L.1941, c.151 and P.L.1982, c.203.

 

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. Section 3 of P.L.1941, c.151 (C.4:19-15.3) is amended to read as follows:

    3. The person applying for the license and registration tag shall pay the fee fixed or authorized to be fixed in section 12 of this act, and the sum of $1.00 for a one-year registration tag or $3.00 for a three-year registration tag for each dog; and for each renewal, the fee for the license and for the registration tag shall be the same as for the original license and tag; and said licenses, registration tags and renewals thereof shall expire no later than June 30 in the year stated on the license; except that this expiration date shall not require a municipality to alter its schedule for administering rabies inoculations to any dog to be licensed and registered; nor shall this expiration date require a municipality to alter its schedule for renewing licenses and registration tags, provided that the registration period precedes June 30. The governing body of a municipality may stagger the expiration of such annual licenses so long as all expirations occur no later than June 30 in the calendar year stated on the license.

    Only one license and registration tag shall be required in any licensing year for any dog owned in New Jersey, and such license and tag shall be accepted by all municipalities as evidence of compliance with this section.

    Dogs used as guides for blind persons and commonly known as "seeing-eye" dogs, dogs used to assist handicapped persons and commonly known as "service dogs," or dogs used to assist deaf persons and commonly known as "hearing ear" dogs shall be licensed and registered as other dogs hereinabove provided for, except that the owner or keeper of such dog shall not be required to pay any fee therefor.

    License forms and uniform official metal registration tags designed by the State Department of Health shall be furnished by the municipality and shall be numbered serially and shall bear the year of issuance and the name of the municipality.

(cf: P.L.1983, c.485, s.2)

 

    2. Section 4 of P.L.1982, c.203 (C.4:19-15.3a) is amended to read as follows:

    4. Subsequent to the effective date of [this act] P.L.1982, c.203, the provisions of any law to the contrary notwithstanding:

    a. All annual licenses required pursuant to the provisions of section 2 of P.L.1941, c.151 (C.4:19-15.2), section 3 of P.L.1941, c.151 (C.4:19-15.3) and section 8 of P.L.1941, c.151 (C.4:19-15.8) shall expire no later than June 30 in the calendar year next following issuance; provided that the license and registration tag fee shall be prorated for any license and registration tag which is valid for longer than 12 months. The governing body of a municipality may stagger the expiration of such annual licenses so long as all expirations occur no later than June 30 in the calendar year next following issuance.

    b. Any 3-year registration tag issued pursuant to the provisions of section 2 of P.L.1941, c.151 (C.4:19-15.2) or section 3 of P.L.1941, c.151 (C.4:19-15.3), which is due to expire January 31 of the year of the effective date of this act, shall be valid until June 30 of that year.

    Upon renewal of the three-year licenses on June 30 of the calendar year next following issuance, the municipality may assess a fee, in addition to the annual fee, which reflects a prorated portion of the three-year fee for the period January 31 to June 30 preceding renewal.

(cf: P.L.1983, c.40, s.2)

 

    3. This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill permits municipal governing bodies to stagger the expiration of dog licenses, so long as the licenses expire no later than June 30 of the calendar year stated on the license.

    Current law requires that dog licenses expire no later than June 30 of the calendar year stated on the license. The language of the current law is not clear about whether the expiration dates of the licenses may be staggered so that the work load of municipal dog licensing officials may be spread out. This bill would clarify the current law so that staggering of expiration dates is clearly permitted.


 

Permits staggering of dog license expiration dates.