Prince George's County, MD Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 3-176 of the County Code creates three separate bans. Subsection (a) prohibits keeping any unlicensed wild, exotic, or dangerous animal as a pet, for breeding, for sale, or for display, whether or not money changes hands. Subsection (b) separately bans keeping any poisonous snake, poisonous reptile, or other venomous animal on the premises under the same conditions. Subsection (c) bans keeping specific native and wild species, ground hogs, skunks, raccoons, opossums, foxes, bears, wolves, other native wildlife, and any member of the cat family other than the domestic cat, again as pets, for breeding, sale, or display.

All three bans carry the same built-in exception, 'except as otherwise provided herein,' which points to the permit process in Subsection (e). Under that subsection, the Director shall issue a permit for keeping or displaying an exotic or wild animal only after an inspection and only under conditions set by the Administrator; a denial can be appealed to the Commission for Animal Control. Subsection (d) also requires the Director to prescribe regulations for safe penning and caging of wild or exotic animals and reptiles to prevent public health threats or nuisances.

00 a year under Subsection (f). Because Subtitle 3 licensing does not override zoning, a permitted display or holding facility must also comply with the county Zoning Ordinance, Subtitle 27, under Section 3-179.