Lane County, OR Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Lane Code 7.005.005 defines "Animal" to include "any dog, cat, exotic or dangerous animal, or livestock," so exotic and dangerous animals fall under Animal Services' impound and enforcement authority. The heavier prohibition is state law: Oregon's exotic-animal statutes (ORS 609.305-609.335 and OAR 603-011) generally bar private ownership of exotic animals - non-native big cats, non-wolf-hybrid wild canines, bears (except black bears), and certain primates and crocodilians - unless the owner held a valid state permit before the phase-out. New permits are essentially unavailable to hobbyists. So in unincorporated Lane County, the practical answer is that most exotics cannot be kept, and Animal Services may impound a prohibited or dangerous animal.