Kenton County, KY Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 90.16 of the Kenton County Code splits the prohibition into two divisions. Division (A) covers animals not indigenous to the United States, barring anyone from selling, owning, harboring or keeping as a pet a wild or exotic animal not indigenous to the country unless it has been approved for sale or retention by the appropriate state and federal agencies with any required permits obtained. Division (B) applies the identical standard to a wild animal that is native to the United States. Together the two divisions mean no wild or exotic species, whether a foreign reptile, a native raccoon, or anything else meeting the § 90.01 definitions of WILD ANIMAL ('any animal not domesticated or not ordinarily tame... that lives apart from human beings') or EXOTIC ANIMAL ('any animal not indigenous to the United States'), may be kept as a pet in the unincorporated county without the applicable state and federal approvals and permits already in hand.

Section 90.15(P) adds a separate numeric cap that reaches exotic pets too: no more than six domestic or exotic animals, or any combination, may be kept in one residential dwelling if that dwelling sits within 100 feet of a neighbor. The penalty table at § 90.99(A)(10) fines a violation of § 90.16 for lacking the required permits at $25 to $100 for a first offense and $50 to $250 for a second or later offense, with each day of continued unpermitted possession a separate violation, and Animal Services retains authority to seize an animal held without the state or federal approval the section requires.