Chandler, AZ Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Poisonous snakes/reptiles
- Prohibited outright, no permit
- Also banned
- Hogs, pigs, donkeys, roosters (§14-7)
- Governing section
- City Code § 14-2
- Enforcement
- City Manager-designated department
Summary
Chandler makes it unlawful to keep any poisonous reptile or poisonous snake anywhere in the city, with no permit path in the animal chapter. The same chapter separately bans keeping hogs, pigs, donkeys, jacks, jennies, burros and roosters within city limits.
14-2. - Poisonous snakes and reptiles prohibited. It shall be unlawful within the City to keep any poisonous reptile or poisonous snake. (Ord. No. 274; Ord. No. 3044, § 2, 11-4-99)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79).
Full Breakdown
' There is no size, enclosure or permit exception written into the section, unlike household pets or backyard chickens, which are separately regulated elsewhere in Chapter 14, a venomous snake or reptile simply cannot be kept in Chandler. ' Together these sections show Chandler drawing a hard line against livestock-type and venomous animals within city limits rather than layering permits on top of them, in contrast to the household-pet and licensed-chicken framework that governs ordinary domestic animals under Article I and Article III of the same chapter.
The City Manager designates the enforcing department under § 14-14, and in practice animal-related enforcement in Chandler runs through the County Enforcement Agent (Maricopa County Animal Care and Control) referenced throughout Chapter 14.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 14 does not attach a chapter-wide criminal penalty for §§ 14-2 or 14-7 specifically; violations of these sections are handled through the general Code misdemeanor provision at § 1-8.3 unless the City Manager designates the offense a civil infraction under § 1-8.7, in which case Chapter 26's civil infraction procedure applies instead of a criminal complaint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep a non-venomous pet snake in Chandler?
Is there a permit to keep a venomous snake in Chandler?
Can I keep a pet pig in my Chandler backyard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chandler
Compare Chandler to another location·View the Arizona animal ordinances overview
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Exotic Pets in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle exotic pets.