Midland, TX Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 6-2-6, last amended by Ordinance 7135 in 1991, makes it unlawful to "harbor, have, keep, or possess any wild animal or poisonous snake" anywhere in Midland outside a handful of institutional settings: a City Council-approved zoo or circus, a school or college using the animal for education, a state- or federally-licensed rehabilitation agency, a licensed veterinarian's practice, or a temporary exhibition permit issued by the Department of Animal Control. That permit costs $25, requires meeting Animal Control's public-safety conditions, and cannot run longer than ten days.

The definition sweeps broadly: wolves, coyotes, panthers, lions, bobcats, cougars, skunks, raccoons, armadillos, poisonous reptiles, hybrids of those species, and "any other animal typically found in a zoo," while carving out domestic dogs, cats, ferrets, livestock and poultry as defined elsewhere in Chapter 6-2. A narrow grandfather clause lets wild animals already housed in a pre-annexation pen or corral remain there if the owner obtains a certificate of nonconformance within 90 days, which requires an Animal Control facility inspection, a $25 annual certification fee per animal, a veterinarian's health statement, and liability insurance of at least $300,000 per incident for bodily injury and $50,000 for property damage.

If a wild animal or ferret bites, scratches or wounds anyone, the incident must be reported to Animal Control immediately, the animal impounded within 24 hours, and it must be humanely destroyed within 24 hours of impoundment so its brain can be sent to a state-certified lab for rabies testing, unless the owner pays to have that done at a private veterinary hospital instead.