James City County, VA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Code §§ 3-1, 3-4, 3-5
- Core rule
- Wild animals banned countywide
- Exception
- Thematic park exhibit animals only
- Excluded pets
- Ferrets, rabbits, hamsters, nonpoisonous snakes
- Penalty
- Class 4 misdemeanor, up to $250
- Enforcer
- County Animal Control officers
Summary
James City County makes it unlawful to bring or keep a wild animal under Code § 3-4, and Chapter 3 defines that broadly: monkeys, raccoons, skunks, wolves, foxes, big cats, venomous snakes, tarantulas and crocodilians. The only carve-out is exhibit animals inside a permanent thematic park located in the county, which covers Busch Gardens. An exotic or poisonous animal caught running at large is impounded under Section 3-5 at the owner's expense.
Wild or exotic animal. A wild or exotic animal means any (i) live monkey (nonhuman primate), raccoon, skunk, wolf, squirrel, fox, leopard, panther, tiger, lion, lynx or any non-native warm-blooded mammal, (ii) poisonous snake, (iii) tarantula, (iv) other poisonous animal normally found in the wild, or (v) any member of the crocodilian family including, but not limited to, alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and gavials. Nonpoisonous snakes, ferrets, rabbits, laboratory rats, gerbils, hamsters and other similar small mammals, and other domesticated animals which have been bred in captivity are not wild or exotic animals. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to bring or keep any wild animals within the county; provided, however, that wild animals shall be permitted to be brought into and kept within the county for purposes of exhibit or as a part of a permanent animal show when the wild animals are located within a thematic park situated in the county. As used in this section, "wild animals" means any animal which by nature or disposition is untamed.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 3's definitions section, Sec. 3-1, defines "Wild or exotic animal" to mean any live monkey (nonhuman primate), raccoon, skunk, wolf, squirrel, fox, leopard, panther, tiger, lion, lynx or other non-native warm-blooded mammal, any poisonous snake, tarantula, other wild poisonous animal, or any crocodilian including alligators, crocodiles, caimans and gavials. The same definition exempts nonpoisonous snakes, ferrets, rabbits, laboratory rats, gerbils, hamsters and other small domesticated animals bred in captivity, so those stay legal to keep as household pets. Sec. 3-4 then bars bringing or keeping any wild animal (defined there as one "untamed" by nature or disposition) within the county at all, with a single exception: wild animals may be brought in and kept for exhibit or as part of a permanent animal show inside a thematic park located in the county, the provision Busch Gardens operates under.
Sec. 3-5 separately bars any exotic or poisonous animal from running at large, meaning roaming off the owner's premises without the owner's immediate control. An animal control officer who captures a loose exotic or poisonous animal disposes of it under Sections 3-45 through 3-47, and if the owner is known, the county bills that owner for its actual expenses in locating, capturing and impounding the animal. Because the general penalty clause in Sec. 00. James City County Police Department's Animal Control unit enforces both sections.
Violations & Fines
Keeping or bringing in a prohibited wild or exotic animal, or letting one run at large, is a Class 4 misdemeanor under Sec. 3-10, carrying a fine of up to $250.00. An animal control officer who impounds the animal bills the owner for actual capture and holding costs under Sec. 3-5(c), and the animal can be disposed of under the impoundment process in Sections 3-45 through 3-47 before any court date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I own a pet monkey or venomous snake in James City County?
Why can Busch Gardens keep exotic animals if the county bans them?
What happens if my pet ferret or nonpoisonous snake gets loose?
What happens if animal control catches my exotic pet running loose?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in James City County
Compare James City County to another location·View the Virginia animal ordinances overview
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