Madera, CA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

32, in Chapter 1 of the Animals title, defines exotic pets to include but not limit to snakes, turtles, monkeys, chinchillas and other unusual animals, alongside animals cared for through wildlife rescue programs. Subsection (A) requires every animal considered an exotic pet or wildlife to be contained in a structure or housed in a manner that prevents its escape. If an exotic pet does escape and the Animal Control Officer has to respond and capture it, the owner is charged all applicable fees for that service, set by resolution of the City Council and subject to revision, on top of any fines and any fees for damage the animal caused to public property.

Subsection (B) layers on a permitting requirement for species that need special state or federal authorization: the owner must file those permits with the Abatement and Compliance Division and pay applicable fees, and the city may also require its own local permit before the animal can be kept in city limits, with the animal's housing subject to inspection and approval by the Animal Control Officer first. An animal that escapes triggers the same local-permit requirement even if it wasn't already permitted, meaning an uncontained exotic pet can become both a fee liability and a permitting problem in a single incident.