Faulkner County, AR Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

00, adopted by Ordinance 1999-012 on July 21, 1999, prohibits possessing, maintaining or confining innately wild, non-domestic animals, non-human primates and venomous reptiles anywhere within the county. The definitions section lists the covered families by name: Ursidae (bears), Canidae (wolves), Hyaenidae (hyenas) and Felidae (lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, cheetahs, bobcats, ocelots, jaguars, lynx and margays), plus monkeys and great apes under non-human primates, and cobras, kraits, coral snakes, sea snakes, vipers, pit vipers and Gila monsters under venomous reptiles. Domestic dogs, cats, ferrets and raccoons are expressly excluded, so the ban targets exotic and wild species only.

Two exceptions exist. First, a non-human primate weighing less than 25 pounds may be kept if the owner complies with the permit conditions in section 4. 1. To keep a permitted small primate, the owner must obtain a 12-month permit from the Faulkner County Sheriff's Department for $100, renewed annually for another $100, and carry proof of insurance on file. The Sheriff's Department also inspects the premises annually for a $100 fee, and the owner must maintain liability insurance of at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence to cover injuries the animal might cause the public.

Anyone possessing a banned animal without qualifying for an exception is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, with each additional day of possession counting as a separate violation, though the county allows a 30-day grace period to remove the animal before the fine applies. Ordinance 1999-012 also repealed the county's earlier 1986 wild-animal ordinance, No. 1986-013.