Pima County, AZ Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- Possession over 30 cumulative days
- Standard permit fee
- $15/year, nontransferable
- Temporary permit
- Free, for unaltered animals under 5 months
- Housing requirement
- Secure fenced/walled yard; no apartments
- No-permit penalty
- Civil infraction, $100-$500 fine
Summary
Keeping a canine-wild animal hybrid, a wolf-dog or coyote-dog cross, in unincorporated Pima County for more than 30 cumulative days requires a county permit. Applicants must be 18 or older, provide permanent ID for the animal, have a secure fenced yard, and get the animal sterilized once it turns five months old.
A. Any person who owns, keeps, possesses, harbors, or maintains a canine-wild animal hybrid within the unincorporated county limits for more than thirty cumulative days must have a valid permit issued by Pima County Animal Care for each animal. B. Canine-wild animal hybrid permits shall not be issued unless the following conditions are met: 1) The applicant must be at least eighteen years of age. 2) The applicant must provide proof that the animal has permanent identification. 3) The applicant must have a secure fenced or walled yard that is accessible to and usable by the animal that will prevent the animal from escaping. Apartments without private yards are not acceptable.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-64: Contains Supplement, with local legislation through Ordinance 2026-9, passed 7-28-2026, current through 7-28-2026).
Full Breakdown
010(B)). 020(A), anyone who owns, keeps, possesses, harbors or maintains one in the unincorporated county for more than 30 cumulative days must hold a valid Pima County Animal Care permit for each animal. Subsection B sets six conditions before a permit issues: the applicant must be at least 18; must prove the animal carries permanent identification (a microchip or tattoo); must have a secure fenced or walled yard the animal cannot escape (apartments without a private yard don't qualify, and a permit becomes invalid if the required yard is later lost); must prove the animal has been altered by a licensed vet once it's five months or older, though an unaltered animal under five months can get a temporary permit that expires the day it turns five months; must have no animal-cruelty conviction and no felony conviction within the past ten years; and must not be under a court order barring ownership of such an animal. 030); duplicates cost $10. 020(E)). 040(B)).
Violations & Fines
Operating without a required permit, or violating any § 6.05.020 condition, is a civil infraction punishable by a fine of $100 to $500 (§ 6.05.040(C)). Separately, if an unaltered hybrid five months or older has been kept more than 30 cumulative days, the owner gets 14 days' notice to prove sterilization before the animal can be impounded; at a forfeiture hearing, a Justice of the Peace who finds the owner willfully failed to comply without good cause must order the animal forfeited to Pima Animal Care (§ 6.05.040(D)-(F)).
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly counts as a regulated hybrid under this rule?
Can I keep a wolf-dog hybrid in an apartment?
Do I have to get my hybrid sterilized?
What happens if I never get the permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pima County
Compare Pima County to another location·View the Arizona animal ordinances overview
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