Boulder County's animal ordinance covers dogs, cats, ferrets, and livestock but sets no separate exotic-pet permit. Ownership of exotic and wild animals is governed by Colorado state law: Colorado Parks and Wildlife rules bar keeping most native and dangerous wildlife without a state license.
Ordinance 2022-8 defines 'domestic animal' as an animal kept for companionship, protection, sale, or as livestock, and its control provisions target dogs. It does not create a county exotic-pet permit, so exotic and wild animals fall to state regulation. Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Commission Regulations (Chapter 11, Wildlife Parks and Unregulated Wildlife) prohibit possessing most native wildlife and many exotic 'dangerous' species without a license, and C.R.S. 33-6-113 makes unlawful possession of wildlife a violation. In unincorporated Boulder County, any exotic animal must still be kept humanely under the ordinance's cruelty and minimum-care provisions (Sections 8 and 10). Zoning may also treat commercial exotic operations as a regulated use.
Keeping regulated wildlife or a prohibited exotic without the required CPW license is a state wildlife violation under C.R.S. 33-6-113, carrying fines and possible seizure. Locally, an exotic kept without minimum care can be impounded and its owner charged with
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