Hawthorne, CA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required for
- Any animal beyond dog/cat/canary/parrot
- Permitting authority
- Director of Animal Services
- One-year lockout
- After a permit revocation
- Wild/exotic display
- Banned outright, Ch. 6.27
- Display exception
- AZA-accredited institutions/sanctuaries
Summary
Anything beyond a household pet, dog, cat, canary, parrot or similar bird, requires a special permit from Hawthorne's director of animal services before it can be kept on any property in the city, and the director can deny the permit outright if it would risk public health or safety.
No person shall keep any animal other than a household pet (dog, cat, canary, parrot, or similar animal or bird) on any real property except by special permit issued by the director of animal services or the director of licensing and code enforcement upon written application setting forth the exact nature and numbers of such animals desired to be kept, the reason for the request of issuance of such special permit, a description of the area and facilities where and within which such animals are proposed to be kept and housed... A permit may be issued only if after a consideration of the place and manner in which the animal will be kept it can be determined that keeping the animal will not jeopardize the public health, safety and welfare; provided, however, that no permit shall be issued if the applicant has had a permit required under this chapter revoked within one year prior to the date of the current application.
Full Breakdown
020, "Keeping of certain animals - Permit - Appeal," states that "no person shall keep any animal other than a household pet (dog, cat, canary, parrot, or similar animal or bird) on any real property except by special permit" issued by the director of animal services or the director of licensing and code enforcement. The written application must set out the exact species and number of animals, why the permit is needed, and a description of the area and facilities where the animals will be kept and housed.
A permit may issue only if the director determines, considering the place and manner of keeping, that it will not jeopardize public health, safety and welfare, and the section specifically bars any permit for an applicant whose animal permit was revoked within the prior year. 005 make clear what this reaches: a "wild animal" is "any wild, exotic, dangerous or non-domestic animal, including but not limited to mammals, fowl, fish or reptiles," so primates, big cats, venomous or constricting reptiles and similar species all fall outside the household-pet carve-out and need this permit.
27 bans displaying wild or exotic animals, an enumerated list including nonhuman primates, wild felids and canids, bears, elephants, marine mammals, crocodilians and several other groups, for public entertainment or amusement on any public or private property, with no permit option at all for that narrower entertainment-display use.
Violations & Fines
Keeping a wild or exotic animal without the Section 6.24.020 permit is enforceable under the Title 1 general penalty, Section 1.20.010, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail, or prosecutable instead as an infraction or civil administrative citation; the director may also revoke an existing permit under Section 6.24.040 after five days' written notice and a hearing, treating continued keeping in violation of the permit as a public nuisance. Displaying a wild or exotic animal for entertainment under Chapter 6.27 is a straight infraction under Section 6.27.040, with no permit available except for AZA-accredited institutions or accredited sanctuaries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to keep an exotic pet in Hawthorne?
Can the city deny my exotic animal permit application?
Can I display an exotic animal at a private party in Hawthorne?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hawthorne
California rules heatmap·Compare Hawthorne to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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