Auburn, AL Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Auburn restricts dangerous exotic animals through Section 501.03(C) of the City of Auburn Zoning Ordinance, which states that no person shall breed or maintain any wild animal or reptile that, in the opinion of the Environmental Services Director, poses a threat to human safety in Auburn. The ordinance excludes zoos, pet shops, animal shelters, and medical or scientific facilities where such animals are a permitted use. Beyond the city rule, Alabama state law independently prohibits certain exotic species. Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Regulation 220-2-.26 (effective October 15, 2020) prohibits possessing, selling, or importing any non-indigenous venomous reptile that has never naturally existed in the wild in Alabama, including venomous snakes of the families Viperidae, Atractaspididae, Elapidae, Hydrophiidae, and Colubridae (with a narrow exception for hognose snakes, Genus Heterodon). It also prohibits any species of Tegu (Genus Salvator) and any bird, mammal, reptile, or amphibian listed as injurious wildlife under the federal Lacey Act. Non-indigenous venomous reptiles have been prohibited in Alabama since 2001. Anyone considering an unusual pet should verify both the Auburn ordinance and the Outdoor Alabama restricted-species rules.