The owners of all dogs seven months of age or older are required to annually apply to the licensing clerk of the municipality in which he or she resides for a dog license. In order for the license to be issued, the owner must present proof that a licensed veterinarian has vaccinated the dog against rabies and that the duration of immunity from that vaccination extends through at least ten months of the twelve-month licensing period. An exemption to the rabies inoculation requirement shall be granted if the owner presents written certification from a licensed veterinarian that the dog cannot be vaccinated due to a medical condition or course of therapy.

Dog licensing fees are set by municipal ordinance but the maximum that can be charged annually is $21.00. License fees are kept by the municipality and used for animal and rabies control activities. Municipal licensing clerks also collect the following additional fees when the dog is licensed: $1.00 for each dog licensed that is forwarded to the DHSS and placed in the Rabies Trust Fund to support State rabies and animal control programs, $3.00 for unneutered dogs that is forwarded to the DHSS, Animal Population Control Program to fund the New Jersey low cost spay and neuter program, and $0.20 for each dog licensed that is forwarded to the DHSS to defray the costs of operating The People for Animals, Inc. low cost spay and neuter clinic located in Hillside, NJ. These fees were enacted into law in 1983.