Lancaster, CA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

' The provision does not create an exemption process or permit path for these species; unlike livestock and small-animal keeping elsewhere in Sec. 180, there is no lot-size or zone under which a resident may lawfully keep them. The section separately incorporates state law: subsection (D)(2) provides that animals prohibited by the State of California cannot be kept within the city, citing California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 671, the Department of Fish and Wildlife's restricted-species regulation covering additional wild and exotic animals such as big cats, bears, and venomous reptiles that require a state restricted-species permit.

That cross-reference means Lancaster's local ban is layered on top of, not a substitute for, the state permitting scheme; a species could be barred locally even if never named in the city's own list of 21. The wild-animal ban sits alongside narrower exceptions elsewhere in Sec. 180: young offspring of a lawfully kept animal may stay with the household until weaned under subsection (E), and housing providers must still accommodate disability-related service and therapy animals under subsection (F) regardless of species, consistent with fair housing law.

Enclosures for any lawfully kept animal must comply with the accessory-structure standards in subsection (G), including sanitation and setback requirements, but those standards presuppose the animal is not one of the wild species barred outright by subsection (D).