Appleton, WI Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 3-116(a) prohibits exhibiting or keeping on any premises or public place a wild animal for display or exhibition purposes, whether the display is free or for a fee, and subsection (d) separately bans keeping or permitting any wild animal to be kept as a pet at all. The chapter's definition of 'wild animal' in §3-1 is broad: it covers any nonhuman primate, raccoon, skunk, fox, or wolf, any animal that is part of the canis lupus species (catching wolf-hybrids), any animal raised for fur, and any other animal that can normally be found in the wild, plus poisonous reptiles, crocodilians, and any snake or other reptile longer than six feet.

Two narrow carve-outs exist. Subsection (b) exempts an animal in the care, custody or control of a veterinarian for treatment, and subsection (c) lets public or private schools, nonprofits, and itinerant carnivals, circuses or theatrical shows apply to the Health Officer for a limited exemption for a display of limited duration, subject to whatever conditions the Health Officer sets; the organization remains responsible for complying with every other provision of the animal chapter while the animal is within city limits.