Wild or exotic animals may not be kept as pets in Howard County, and Maryland law separately bans possessing dangerous exotic species such as bears, big cats, alligators, foxes and raccoons statewide. County rules cover companion dogs and cats, not wildlife.
Howard County's animal control guidance is explicit that "wild or exotic animals are not permitted as pets," including offspring of domesticated animals bred with a wild or exotic animal. Reinforcing this, Maryland Criminal Law §10-621 bars any person from importing, selling, possessing, breeding or exchanging a long list of dangerous exotic animals, including foxes, skunks, raccoons, bears, alligators, caimans, crocodiles and members of the cat family (other than domestic cats), with narrow exemptions for licensed sanctuaries and research facilities. Native wildlife is additionally regulated by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, which controls possession of most native species.
Possessing a prohibited exotic animal violates Maryland Criminal Law §10-621, a misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000, and can trigger seizure of the animal. Howard County Animal Control also enforces the county no-exotic-pets rule.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Howard County allows residential backyard composting and actively promotes it. The county runs a Feed the Green Bin curbside food-scrap collection and sells ...
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Howard County has no ordinance specifically prohibiting or requiring artificial turf for residential yards. Synthetic lawns are generally allowed, but becaus...
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Howard County places no restriction on planting native or pollinator gardens. Maryland's low-impact landscaping law (House Bill 322, 2021) bars homeowners as...
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Howard County does not ban rainwater harvesting. Rain barrels and cisterns are legal and actively promoted through the county's Live Green Howard and stormwa...
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Howard County has no year-round odd/even watering ban. Water use is limited only when the state declares a drought. Under Maryland's Level One Mandatory Rest...
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Howard County's adopted Property Maintenance Code requires exterior premises to be kept free of weeds and rank plant growth, but it applies only to rental an...
See how Howard County's exotic pets rules stack up against other locations.
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