Lake Elsinore, CA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Lake Elsinore Municipal Code § 6.04.260 makes it unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to have, keep, harbor or possess an exotic animal whose possession requires a state Fish and Game welfare permit, game breeder's license, scientific collector's permit or letter permit anywhere within city limits, except for potbelly pigs, which are exempted by name. The Animal Control Agency, the City's contracted enforcement arm under Chapter 6.04, administers the ban alongside the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, which investigates complaints under the broader animal control chapter.

Section 6.04.270 carves out two narrow exceptions: an exotic animal already owned before this ordinance was codified may continue to be kept if the owner signs an agreement with the Animal Control Agency documenting the arrangement, and an educational institution may temporarily house an animal under a Department of Fish and Game scientific permit if it applies in writing at least five working days before taking possession. Outside those two paths, there is no permit process in the city code that authorizes a resident to acquire a new state-permit-requiring exotic animal after the ordinance's effective date.

The definitions section, § 6.04.010, defines 'exotic animals' broadly as any nondomestic animal or any animal not native to the Southern California area, which sweeps in reptiles, primates and many wild mammals that require state wildlife permits. Because the prohibition is tied to what state law requires a permit for, an animal that does not need a Fish and Game permit, license or letter falls outside this particular section, though it may still be regulated elsewhere in Chapter 6.04 or 6.08.