State law requires that all dogs in New Jersey be licensed. The municipalities in each state are tasked with enforcing the licensing laws and collecting the fees for the state. Voorhees Township Code Chapter 92 titled Dogs and Cats further requires the licensing of cats in Voorhees Township.
There are many benefits to licensing your pet and placing the registration tag on their collar:
• Licensed dogs/cats are vaccinated against rabies (with some exceptions explained below) and those with current license tags on their collars are considered generally protected from the disease.
• A licensed dog/cat that wanders off the owner’s property or gets lost can be traced and quickly returned to its owner by animal control officers.
• When people are bitten by a licensed dog/cat, the owner is usually found, and the dog/cat is placed under a 10-day confinement and observation that will prevent the bite victim from needing to begin rabies post-exposure prophylaxis.
• Dog licensing is mandatory in all New Jersey municipalities and the licensing fee is much less than the fines and penalties for having unlicensed dogs. Cat licensing is required by Voorhees Township and the same dog licensing requirements apply, except for the valid date of a rabies vaccination.
• License fees support animal control, animal sheltering and rabies control activities within the municipality.
• Dog licensing fees help fund testing of suspect rabid wildlife, the free state-sponsored municipal rabies vaccination clinics and the state operated low cost spay and neuter program. The free rabies clinic for Voorhees Township is May 3, 2025, 9am-Noon at the Lions Lake Community Center, 101 Dutchtown Road.
Licenses are valid from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of each year. Fees for licenses are $12.00 for a spayed/neutered dog/cat and $15.00 for non-spayed/non-neutered dog/cat. Voorhees Township extends the deadline to obtain the license to May 10 of each year. Licenses obtained after May 10 will incur an additional $25.00 late fee. The late fee is capped at 2 pets.
For more information about cat and dog licensing, contact the Township Clerk’s Office at (856)429-7757 or email dober@VoorheesNJ.com
** Voorhees Township Public Service Outreach will take place from Feb. 24 to 28 at the Lions Lake Complex. For any inquiries, contact socialmedia@voorheesnj.com
** The Voorhees Township Police Department will host its Annual Citizens’ Police Academy beginning on Thursday, March 6. Participants will meet on most Thursday nights from 6:30pm-8:30pm, concluding with a graduation ceremony on April 10. The deadline for applications is Friday, Feb. 14 at 5pm. For more information, please contact Sergeant Eric Camm at ecamm@vtpd.com or by phone 856-882-1104.
