Dunwoody, GA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 6-2 defines a "hazardous animal" as one that "may be harmful to humans or other animals by virtue of its ability to produce poison" or that, "due to its size and feeding habits, could prey on humans as a food source," and lists examples: pit vipers, coral snakes, poisonous spiders and frogs, large reptiles, Nile monitors, caimans, alligators, crocodiles, and constricting snakes over ten feet long. That sits inside the broader "companion animal" and "domesticated animal" definitions, which separately acknowledge that Dunwoody residents may lawfully keep "domesticated wild animals" and "exotic animals" generally, so the prohibition targets the dangerous subset rather than exotic pet ownership as a whole.

Section 6-19 makes it unlawful to "own, keep, harbor, house, or permit to be kept, harbored or housed, a hazardous animal within the city" without first getting written approval from the police chief or a designated representative. The chief may grant approval only on "photographic proof that the animal will be kept adequately restrained or confined as is common for the species," putting the burden on the owner to document species-appropriate caging before the animal enters city limits. There is no separate fee schedule printed in this article; approval is a case-by-case written determination by the police department rather than a permit issued on a fixed timeline. Because the definition is keyed to danger rather than a closed species list, an owner of any large constrictor, venomous reptile, or amphibian meeting the size-and-predation or venom criteria needs the chief's written sign-off even if the species is not named in the illustrative list.