Portland, ME Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Penalty
- $500 per offense
- Offense unit
- Per animal, per exhibition day
- Effective date
- October 18, 2017
- Enforcer
- City Manager (Director) or designee
- Scope
- Traveling animal acts, not home possession
Summary
Portland outlaws traveling animal acts featuring wild or exotic species. City Code Article VI (§§ 5-506–5-509) bans any circus, exhibition, ride, or similar act that requires a wild or exotic animal to perform tricks or give rides for public entertainment inside city limits, effective since October 18, 2017.
(a) It shall be a violation of this Article for any person, business, entity, corporation, limited liability company or other similar organization to allow for the participation of a wild and/or exotic animal in a traveling animal act in the City of Portland; (b) The penalty for violations of this Article shall be $500.00 per offense. Each and every wild and/or exotic animal exhibited and each day exhibition occurs shall constitute a separate offense; and (c) This Article may also be enforced pursuant to Chapter 1, section 1-15 of the Portland City Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
The ordinance, added by Ord. No. 30-17/18 (9-18-2017), defines "wild and/or exotic animal" by scientific classification, hoofed mammals other than cattle, swine, sheep and goats, crocodilians, elephants, wild cats excluding domestic cats, kangaroos and other marsupials, non-human primates, rhinoceroses, tapirs and zebras, seals and sea lions, bears, and certain sharks, expressly excluding horses. Section 5-507(a) makes it a violation for any person, business, corporation, LLC or similar entity to allow a wild or exotic animal to participate in a "traveling animal act", a display transported to, from, or between locations in a mobile or traveling housing facility for exhibition or performance, anywhere in the City of Portland.
The rule targets circuses, traveling shows, and similar acts, not the private keeping of an exotic animal as a household pet; the code does not separately regulate possession of non-native species outside a traveling-act or display context. The Director, defined as the City Manager or designee, administers and enforces the article under § 5-508.
Violations & Fines
Section 5-507(b) sets the penalty at $500 per offense, and treats each animal exhibited and each day the exhibition runs as a separate offense, so a multi-day, multi-animal display can generate large cumulative fines. The article can also be enforced under Chapter 1, § 1-15 of the Portland City Code, the general ordinance-enforcement chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Portland ban owning an exotic pet at home?
What counts as a traveling animal act in Portland?
What is the fine for violating Portland's wild animal display ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
Compare Portland to another location·View the Maine animal ordinances overview
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