Cook County, IL Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Cook County Code § 10-8(o), part of the Animal Care section of Chapter 10, makes it unlawful to keep or display for exhibition any wild animal contrary to federal, state, or local law. Because Illinois wildlife and dangerous-animal statutes already bar ordinary residents from possessing most non-domesticated species (big cats, bears, venomous reptiles, primates) without a state or federal permit, this section gives the County its own enforcement hook against anyone keeping such an animal locally. Chapter 10 has no unincorporated-only limitation, so it applies countywide, including inside municipalities, alongside any stricter local rule a municipality chooses to adopt under Sec. 10-7. The Department of Animal and Rabies Control enforces it under the Administrator's police power granted in Sec. 10-6.