Burlington County, NJ Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

" Sitting under the "WILDLIFE" heading, the rule targets what happens to animals brought onto or released within Parks System land rather than pet ownership generally; someone abandoning an unwanted pet reptile, bird or other exotic animal in a county park, and anyone releasing a non-native species there, whether a licensed rehabilitator or not, violates the rule. The written-permission carve-out is narrow: it applies only to licensed wildlife rehabilitators releasing native wildlife back into the parks, not to hobbyists or pet owners, and it does not extend to exotic or non-native species at all, which the rule bans outright with no permission process available.

The rule complements Rule 19's leash requirement for dogs and cats and Rule 21's ban on horses outside designated areas, together covering every category of animal a visitor might bring into or release within a Parks System property. Because Rule 23 addresses release and introduction of animals onto park land rather than what species a person may keep as a pet at home, it does not reach exotic-pet ownership outside the Parks System; that question falls to the host municipality's own animal-control ordinance, not to the county parks rules.