Cleveland County, NC Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Article V of Cleveland County's animal chapter separates exotic pets into two tiers. Code § 3-101 makes it illegal, at no time, for any person to possess or harbor an "inherently dangerous animal" anywhere in the county, and § 3-100 defines that term to include any wolf, fox, coyote or undomesticated member of the dog family and their hybrids; any cat over fifteen pounds other than a domestic cat, any wildcat regardless of size, or any big cat of the genus Panthera; any bear or bear hybrid; any non-human primate; any venomous reptile or amphibian; any constrictor snake such as a python or anaconda; any crocodile, alligator or caiman; any kangaroo or other macropod; and any non-livestock animal over three hundred pounds.

Violating § 3-101 draws a $300 civil penalty plus prosecution as a misdemeanor, and the county exempts only veterinary clinics, brief nonresident circuses and carnivals, and animals in transit for under twenty-four hours under § 3-102. A lesser tier, wild or exotic animals that are not inherently dangerous, must be kept confined in a secure enclosure and registered with the animal services director within ten working days of acquisition at no fee, under § 3-104, though ordinary household pets, domestic farm animals, livestock, non-piranha fish, birds, nonvenomous reptiles and insects are exempt from that registration.

If a wild or exotic animal attacks a person, the owner owes a $1,500 civil penalty under § 3-105, and the director can move to terminate the owner's rights in the animal, subject to appeal by certiorari.