Riverside County, CA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

In unincorporated Riverside County, the keeping of exotic animals is shaped primarily by California state law, with the County's Ordinance No. 630 providing definitions and rabies-control provisions. Ordinance 630, Section 1, defines an "Exotic Animal" as any animal not normally domesticated in the United States, including but not limited to any lion, tiger, bear, non-human primate (monkey, chimpanzee), wolf, coyote, cougar, bobcat, ocelot, wildcat, skunk, boa, python, reptile, amphibian, bird, or venomous snake, regardless of any claimed tameness. A "Hybrid Animal" is one that is part wild animal and capable of transmitting rabies (excluding livestock hybrids) for which no rabies prophylaxis is recognized in California. Section 16(h) requires that any exotic or hybrid animal be vaccinated and/or quarantined pursuant to State law, and Section 16(g) imposes a standing quarantine prohibiting the trapping, capturing, holding, or keeping of skunks as pets in the County due to rabies risk. The broader prohibition comes from the California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 671, which restricts the importation, transportation, and possession of hundreds of wild species without a permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW); these permits are not issued for ordinary private pet possession. Anyone considering an exotic animal should confirm legality with both CDFW (restricted species) and Riverside County Animal Services.