Royal Oak, MI Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Article VI of Chapter 195, adopted 8-8-2022 by Ordinance No. 2022-02, makes it unlawful under § 195-40A for any person to keep, harbor or possess one or more nondomestic animals, as defined in § 195-39, in any residential area of the City of Royal Oak. Section 195-39 defines NONDOMESTIC ANIMALS to include any member of the cat family other than domesticated house cats (lions, tigers, cougars, bobcats, leopards, jaguars), naturally wild canines (wolves, foxes, coyotes, dingoes, jackals) and wolf-dog crossbreeds, primates (lemurs, monkeys, apes), crocodilians (alligators, crocodiles, caimans), snakes and lizards, and any poisonous or venomous animal.

Three exceptions apply under § 195-40B: an animal already owned by a Royal Oak resident when the article passed may stay if licensed under § 195-46; a licensed wildlife rehabilitation organization may temporarily care for an animal under that license; and the Detroit Zoological Society and other licensed zoos, aquariums and veterinary facilities are exempt entirely. Licensing under § 195-46 requires application to the City Clerk within 120 days, proof of ownership as of November 7, 2021, an annual renewal fee set in the administrative fee schedule, and a proper enclosure that separates the animal from public areas; the license is void the moment the owner's primary residence leaves the City and cannot later be reinstated.

Breeding any nondomestic primate is separately banned citywide by § 195-41. Enforcement falls to the Royal Oak Police and Fire Departments and the Animal Control Officer under § 195-42, who may seize an unlicensed or unlawfully possessed animal. Violations proceed by sworn complaint to the District Court under § 195-47, which can order the animal removed from the City or, if it attacked without provocation, destroyed at the owner's expense; the City recovers its capture, boarding and disposal costs under § 195-45.