Boulder, CO Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Core rule
- 15 categories of exotic/wild animals banned
- Examples
- Bears, big cats, venomous reptiles, primates, elephants
- Domestic exception
- House cats, dogs, wolf hybrids, ferrets allowed
- State license
- Required for any state-licensed wildlife species
- Feeding ban
- No feeding wild animals except squirrels, birds, fish
- Penalty
- Up to $2,650 fine, 90 days jail
Summary
Boulder Revised Code § 6-1-4 bans owning, keeping, or publicly displaying fifteen categories of wild and exotic animals, including bears, big cats, venomous reptiles, primates, elephants, marine mammals, and non-domesticated canids and ungulates. Anyone who owns an animal that requires a Colorado state wildlife license must also hold that state license on top of complying with the local ban.
(a)No person shall own or keep any animal for which a state license is required unless such person possesses the appropriate license from the Colorado Division of Wildlife.(b)No person shall place on public display, own, or keep any of the following animals:(1)Ursids (e.g., bears);(2)Felids other than ordinary domesticated house cats;(3)Mustalids other than ferrets (e.g., skunks, weasels, otters, or badgers);(4)Venomous reptiles;(5)Procyonides (e.g., raccoons or coatis);(6)Elephants;(7)Marine mammals (e.g., seals, sea lions, dolphins, or sea otters);(8)Hyenas;(9)Edentates (e.g., anteaters, sloths, or armadillos);(10)Viverrids (e.g., mongooses, civets, or genets);(11)Canids, but not including ordinary domesticated dogs, wolves, or wolf hybrids;(12)Marsupials (e.g., kangaroo or opossum);(13)Ungulates (e.g., deer, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, giraffe, camel, zebra, but not including any domesticated species);(14)Any species of nonhuman primate or prosimian (e.g., monkey or chimpanzee), but excluding animals imported under authority of state or federal law so long as they are not displayed; or(15)Crocodilians (e.g., alligators and crocodiles).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 167 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-1-4(b) lists fifteen specific categories rather than a general 'wild animal' standard: bears (ursids); big cats other than ordinary house cats (felids); skunks, weasels, otters, and badgers other than ferrets (mustelids); venomous reptiles; raccoons and coatis (procyonids); elephants; seals, sea lions, dolphins, and sea otters (marine mammals); hyenas; anteaters, sloths, and armadillos (edentates); mongooses, civets, and genets (viverrids); wild canids other than domesticated dogs, wolves, or wolf hybrids; kangaroos and opossums (marsupials); non-domesticated ungulates such as deer, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, giraffe, camel, and zebra; nonhuman primates and prosimians such as monkeys and chimpanzees; and crocodilians such as alligators and crocodiles.
Subsection (a) separately requires anyone who owns an animal for which the Colorado Division of Wildlife requires a state license, such as certain birds of prey or big-game species, to hold that license. Three specific defenses apply: a government agency or nonprofit corporation displaying a listed animal without charge for educational purposes; a person holding a valid state wildlife rehabilitation license and acting within it; and, for primates and prosimians imported under state or federal authority, keeping the animal without publicly displaying it. Subsection (c) separately bars feeding any wild animal, including leaving out bones, salt licks, or water for it, with a specific defense for feeding only wild squirrels, birds, or fish.
Violations & Fines
A § 6-1-4 violation is a municipal offense under the citywide general penalty, Boulder Revised Code § 5-2-4: up to $2,650 and up to ninety days in jail per violation, or both. Boulder Animal Protection, part of the police department, investigates reports of prohibited exotic animals and can seize a listed animal in addition to citing its keeper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I own a pet raccoon or skunk in Boulder?
Are wolf hybrids legal in Boulder?
Is it legal to feed squirrels or birds in my Boulder yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boulder
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Exotic Pets in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Boulder County handle exotic pets.