Boone County, KY Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

21 reaches: an EXOTIC ANIMAL is "any animal not indigenous to the United States and not ordinarily tame and which is by nature an animal that lives apart from human beings," while a WILD ANIMAL is "any animal not domesticated, not ordinarily tame or which is by nature an animal that lives apart from human beings," regardless of origin. 21(A) bans selling, owning, harboring or keeping any non-native exotic animal as a pet anywhere in unincorporated Boone County, and (B) extends the same ban to wild animals native to the United States, so a raccoon, coyote or bobcat is off-limits just like a non-native species such as a big cat or primate.

Subsection (C) adds a flat ban on owning any venomous reptile, with no exotic-or-native distinction. The only people exempted from all three bans are "state and federal conservation officers, licensed nuisance wildlife officers, and licensed rehabilitators" acting in that capacity, so a resident cannot keep a rescued wild animal as a personal pet even temporarily without one of those licenses. 15, and a first-offense conviction results in the county taking possession of the animal.