Mono County, CA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Mono County's animal code (Title 9) regulates dogs and domestic animals but does not establish a separate exotic-pet licensing scheme, so the controlling rules are statewide. Under California Fish and Game Code Section 2118, it is unlawful to import, transport, possess or release alive any 'restricted' wild animal except under a revocable, nontransferable permit. The detailed list of restricted species appears in California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 671, and includes all primates (monkeys, lemurs), most non-domestic carnivores (such as wild cats, ferrets in California, bears, and members of the dog and weasel families), many marsupials, hedgehogs, sloths, venomous and many non-native reptiles and amphibians, and numerous birds. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife issues permits only for limited purposes such as research, public exhibition (zoos) and similar uses - not for keeping these animals as household pets. Common domestic pets - dogs, cats, most rabbits, domesticated rodents like hamsters and guinea pigs, and standard caged birds - are not restricted. Because Mono County is high-desert wildlife habitat, possession of native wildlife may also trigger separate state hunting and wildlife rules. Anyone considering an unusual pet should confirm its status with CDFW before acquiring it, and should not assume the absence of a county ordinance means an animal is legal.