Grand Rapids, MI Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 1103 of the Property Maintenance Code defines a wild animal as any animal that is not a 'domestic animal' (the enumerated caged birds, cats, dogs, chinchillas, ferrets, fish, non-venomous lizards, snakes, and spiders under Sec. 1101) or a 'farm animal' (horses, cattle, swine, and similar livestock under Sec. 1102). Any such wild animal 'shall not be kept or allowed on any property in the City of Grand Rapids.' The definition sweeps broadly: venomous reptiles, primates, big cats, and other exotic species all fall outside the domestic and farm-animal lists and are therefore banned outright, regardless of how the animal is housed or whether it poses a documented danger.