La Grange, MO Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 210.280 sits in Article IV of Chapter 210 and flatly bars keeping specific dangerous wild animals anywhere within the City of La Grange: lions, tigers, leopards, ocelots, jaguars, cheetahs, margays, mountain lions, Canada lynx, bobcats, jaguarundis, hyenas, wolves, bears, non-human primates, and coyotes are all named outright, as is any deadly, dangerous or poisonous reptile and any deadly or dangerous reptile longer than eight feet. The only places these animals may lawfully be kept in the City are a properly maintained zoological park, circus, scientific or educational institution, research laboratory, veterinary hospital, or animal refuge, meaning a private residence or business cannot keep any of the listed species under any circumstance.

The Section carries no separate fine schedule of its own, so a violation is punished under the Code's General Penalty, Section 100.220: not less than $10.00 nor more than $1,000.00, up to three months in jail, or both, with each day the animal remains kept in violation counted as a separate offense. The prohibition sits alongside related Article IV provisions covering the release of confined animals (Section 210.230), animal neglect and abandonment (Section 210.250), and animal abuse (Section 210.260), all enforced by the LaGrange Police Department and Humane Officer, who under Section 210.090 is the City's Chief of Police.