South Carolina law bars keeping wild carnivores (raccoons, foxes, skunks, coyotes, wolves, big cats and similar rabies-reservoir species) as pets and prohibits their sale. These state restrictions apply throughout Charleston County alongside any local nuisance rules.
Under South Carolina's Rabies Control Act, "carnivores" include raccoons, foxes, skunks, bobcats, coyotes, wolves, wolf-dogs, weasels, and similar species and their crossbred offspring. State law prohibits selling these wild, non-domesticated carnivores as pets and requires that any such animal kept must not be allowed to run at large and then returned to confinement. South Carolina also restricts private possession of large wild cats, apes, and non-native venomous reptiles under a separate 2018 ownership law. Charleston County enforces these state limits; unincorporated residents should not acquire native wild carnivores as pets.
Selling or improperly keeping a wild carnivore violates state law; animals may be seized and destroyed for rabies control, and owners can face misdemeanor penalties under the Rabies Control Act.
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See how Charleston County's exotic pets rules stack up against other locations.
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