Carson, CA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Definition source
- CMC § 3305 (10.08.250)
- Only exception
- Pre-1968 pet alligators
- Confinement duty
- CMC § 3307
- Base ordinance
- L.A. County Code, frozen 1993
Summary
Carson's animal ordinance defines 'wild animal' broadly to cover any wild, exotic, dangerous, or nondomestic mammal, bird, fish, or reptile, with a single narrow legacy exception for alligators kept as pets before the City incorporated in 1968.
10.08.250 Wild Animal. "Wild animal" means any wild, exotic, dangerous, or nondomestic animal, including but not limited to mammals, fowl, fish or reptiles, except alligators which have been kept as pets within single family residential property occupied by the owners thereof located in the area now within the city limits of the City of Carson continuously since a date prior to the incorporation of the City of Carson on February 20, 1968.
Full Breakdown
Carson adopted L.A. County's Title 10 Animal Control Ordinance by reference (frozen as of January 5, 1993, CMC § 3300), then amended Section 10.08.250 through CMC § 3305 to define 'wild animal' broadly, carving out only pet alligators kept continuously on single-family residential property since before the City's February 20, 1968 incorporation. A companion amendment, CMC § 3306, exempts only those same grandfathered alligators from the Animal Control Ordinance's licensing list, and CMC § 3307 requires any such alligator to be kept confined on the owner's property and not permitted to run at large. The full text of the underlying county keeping/restraint provisions for wild animals generally is not reproduced in Carson's code, which only contains these local amendments.
Violations & Fines
Keeping a wild, exotic, dangerous, or nondomestic animal as defined by CMC § 3305 outside the narrow pre-1968 alligator exception, or letting a grandfathered alligator run at large.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Carson residents keep exotic pets like big cats or venomous reptiles?
Is the alligator exception available to new residents?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carson
California rules heatmap·Compare Carson to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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Exotic Pets in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle exotic pets.