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

530 bars any person from having, keeping, maintaining, selling, trading or letting for hire any wild, exotic, dangerous or non-domestic animal without first applying to and receiving special authorization from the animal control officer. The officer cannot grant that authorization until the applicant demonstrates compliance with Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 2116) of Division 3 of the California Fish and Game Code, the state law governing possession of restricted wild animals. Keeping the animal must also conform to the county's zoning code for the parcel involved, so a rural agricultural zone and a residential zone in Hamilton City or Artois are not treated the same way.

Once authorization is granted, the animal control officer can attach conditions: requiring the animal to be caged, tethered or otherwise restrained, and imposing any additional requirement judged necessary for public safety. The officer may revoke authorization at any time if, in the officer's opinion, keeping the animal endangers the safety of any person or property. The section exempts licensed circuses, carnivals, zoos, or other collections of wild animals operating under the jurisdiction of a city, county, state or federal government, so a traveling permitted exhibit is not swept in with a private household keeping a wild animal.

540, separately bars trapping rabies-vector wild animals within the unincorporated county for resale alive for profit without first filing a statement of the planned activity with the animal control officer and the health officer.