Section 3.08 of the 2017 Minnehaha County Revised Animal Control Ordinance (MC52-17) FLATLY PROHIBITS exotic animals in unincorporated Minnehaha County, with grandfathering only for animals legally within the county on Nov. 14, 2017 (registered with the Animal Control Officer within 90 days of adoption). The § 1.06 definition of 'Exotic Animal' is broad and explicitly includes lions, tigers, cheetahs, panthers, leopards, cougars, mountain lions, ocelots, alligators, venomous snakes, poisonous tarantulas or other arachnoids, scorpions, poisonous reptiles, wild felines, lynx, bobcats, foxes, mink, skunks, raccoons, bears, nonhuman primates, wolves, and coyotes.
Statutory carve-outs: the exotic-animal definition explicitly does NOT include domestic ferrets (Mustela furo), livestock, or 'household pets' (dogs, cats, pot-bellied pigs, gerbils, hamsters, tropical fish, common house birds). 'Alleged domestication' of any exotic animal does not change its prohibited status (§ 1.06). Circus / exhibit exemption: a circus or exotic-animal exhibit that is 'validly and legally operating within the County for a specific and limited time period' is exempt (§ 3.08(A)). Grandfathered animals: must have been registered with the county Animal Control Officer within 90 days of the Nov. 14, 2017 ordinance adoption — that window closed Feb. 12, 2018, so no further grandfathering is possible. Hybrids of exotic and household pet (e.g., wolf-dog crosses) are NOT considered household pets under § 1.06 and therefore are treated as exotic. State law: SDCL § 40-14-9 requires a non-domestic mammal permit from the South Dakota Animal Industry Board for many exotic species, layered on top of the county prohibition.
Possession of a prohibited exotic animal is a Class 2 misdemeanor under § 8.01 (up to 30 days jail and/or $500 fine per SDCL 22-6-2). The Animal Control Officer may seize the animal under § 3.03 with a court order and pursue euthanasia or transfer to a sanctuary as part of disposition under Article IV. Owner must pay all impoundment, board, and veterinary costs (§ 4.01(C)). Operating an unregistered non-domestic mammal facility may also draw state-level penalties under SDCL § 40-14 administered by the SD Animal Industry Board.
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