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

04, the county's animal control ordinance, governs exotic and dangerous pet possession only in the unincorporated areas of Madera County; the cities of Madera and Chowchilla enforce their own municipal codes and are outside this chapter's reach. 270, captioned "Wild animal, Permit," bars anyone from possessing "any animal not commonly kept or raised in the county as a domesticated animal" if the county animal services department considers it dangerous to health or safety, unless a wild animal permit has first been obtained. The section sets no species list; it turns on the department's own judgment of danger and on what is customarily kept locally, reaching everything from big cats and venomous reptiles to primates and other nondomestic wildlife.

050 rather than fixed in the code itself, so the current fee schedule controls the exact dollar amount. Because the permit gate reaches state and federal law and county zoning, an applicant who cannot lawfully keep the species under state wildlife law or under the applicable zoning district's use table will be denied regardless of what animal services would otherwise allow. 16.