Murrieta, CA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed zones
- RR and ER only
- Permit required
- Conditional use permit (CUP)
- Minimum lot size
- One-half acre
- Standard zones
- Not eligible at all
- Permit revocation
- 12-month reapplication bar
Summary
Murrieta only allows exotic or wild animals as pets in the Rural Residential and Estate Residential zones, and only with a conditional use permit under Development Code Table 16.44.040-1. The minimum parcel size is one-half acre, and keeping such an animal anywhere else in the city, or without the permit, is not allowed.
Exotic or wild RR, ER Subject to a CUP One-half (1/2) acre animals
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-23: A Codification of the General Ordinances of the City of Murrieta, California through Ord. 634-26, passed 7-7-2026).
Full Breakdown
030's use-permit procedures is required before anyone may keep one on the property. That puts exotic and wild animals in the same permit-required category as commercial raising of chinchillas, nutria, hamsters, guinea pigs and similar small animals, and frog farms, all of which the table also flags as CUP-only uses on RR/ER parcels. 030(G), a permit found in violation can be suspended, revoked, or modified after a hearing before the commission, with no new permit for that property for twelve months afterward. Because standard residential zones, including SF1 and higher-density districts, are not listed as allowable districts for this use at all, an exotic or wild animal kept in those zones has no path to a permit regardless of lot size; the CUP option only exists for qualifying RR and ER parcels.
Violations & Fines
Keeping an exotic or wild animal without an approved CUP, or outside the RR/ER zones where the use is even eligible for one, is a code violation under the general penalty section, Murrieta Code Section 1.08.050, charged as an infraction with escalating fines up to $500 and, after a third offense, prosecutable as a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in county jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep an exotic animal in my Murrieta backyard?
What happens if my exotic-animal permit is revoked?
Is a conditional use permit the same as a pet license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Murrieta
California rules heatmap·Compare Murrieta to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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