El Dorado County, CA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

050 governs 'all aspects of the possession and keeping of wild animals' in the County, defining a wild animal in conformity with Fish and Game Code section 2116 as any bird, mammal, amphibian, bony fish, lamprey, reptile, crayfish or slug/snail species not normally domesticated in California. Anyone possessing an animal in the classes covered by Fish and Game Code section 2118(a) through (h) needs a County permit from the Director of Animal Control in addition to, not instead of, any State permit; the County cannot issue a permit for an animal the State wouldn't permit either.

The application must list the species, the number of each, the proposed location and the housing plan, and it goes to the Building, Planning and Environmental Health departments for a conformity review before Animal Control investigates and decides. An initial permit runs for one year, covers a maximum number of animals stated on the permit, and needs a new permit and fee if the collection grows past that cap, though offspring born from the existing collection or same-species trades don't need a new permit if Animal Control gets written notice within 30 days.

Before approving any permit, the Director has to find that keeping the animal at that location won't violate County or State law, won't endanger public health or safety, that the housing is clean and won't subject the animal to cruelty, that the applicant hasn't had a permit revoked in the prior year, and that keeping the animal isn't a public nuisance.