Berkeley County, SC Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential-area ban
- § 8-5(a), all wild animals prohibited
- Buffer zone outside residential areas
- 200 feet around enclosure (§ 8-1)
- Big-cat threshold
- over 30 lbs adult weight = wild (§ 8-1)
- Institutional exemptions
- AZA, USDA-licensed, vets, Cypress Gardens
- Cost liability
- owner pays county's impound costs (§ 8-5(d))
- Penalty
- up to $500 fine / 30 days jail (§ 8-12)
Summary
Berkeley County Code Sec. 8-5(a) bars anyone from harboring or owning a wild animal, defined by Sec. 8-1 to include bears, big cats over 30 pounds, wolves, foxes and coyotes, raccoons, skunks, and venomous snakes, inside any residential area. Owners elsewhere must maintain the 200-foot buffer zone the code requires around the animal's enclosure.
(1)Bears (Ursidae). All bears, including grizzly bears, brown bears, black bears, etc.;(2)Cat family (Felidae). All cats except those cats that at their normal adult weight do not weigh greater than 30 pounds;(3)Dog family (Canidae). All canines not able to be vaccinated for rabies because it is prohibited by law or because they do not take the vaccine. Despite the ability to receive vaccinations this definition includes such dogs as a wolf, part wolf, fox, part fox, coyote, and part coyote.(4)Raccoons;(5)Skunks; and(6)Venomous snakes. ... (a)No person shall harbor or own any wild animal within any residential area.(b)All residents of Berkeley County who harbor or own wild animals outside of a residential area must also own an area surrounding the animal's cage, shelter, enclosure or facility defined by this chapter as the buffer zone.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 37).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 8-1 defines 'wild animal' for chapter 8 purposes as bears of any kind, all cats except those that do not exceed 30 pounds at normal adult weight, canines that cannot legally be vaccinated for rabies such as wolves, part-wolves, foxes, part-foxes, coyotes and part-coyotes, plus raccoons, skunks, and venomous snakes. Sec. 8-5(a) flatly prohibits harboring or owning any of those animals within any residential area, a term Sec. 8-1 defines as a lot containing a residence within 100 feet of another lot of an acre or less that houses a wild animal.
Outside a residential area, Sec. 8-5(b) still requires the owner to maintain the 200-foot 'buffer zone' around the cage, shelter, enclosure, or facility that Sec. 8-1 defines. Sec. 8-5(c) exempts a short, specific list from the residential-area ban: facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, licensed research or medical institutions, licensed educational institutions, licensed veterinary clinics, traveling circuses or carnivals, persons transporting a wild animal through the county for three days or less, USDA Animal Welfare Act-licensed facilities, the Berkeley County Animal Shelter, Cypress Gardens by name, and any facility County Council exempts by resolution.
Sec. 8-5(d) makes a violator responsible for paying whatever costs the animal shelter or animal control department incurs to impound, remove, transport, handle, or house a wild animal kept in violation of the chapter, on top of the standard chapter penalty.
Violations & Fines
Keeping a prohibited wild animal is a misdemeanor under Sec. 8-12, punishable by a fine up to $500.00 and/or up to 30 days in jail, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. Sec. 8-5(d) adds separate financial exposure: the violator must also reimburse the county for the actual cost of impounding, removing, transporting, handling, or housing the animal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep a pet fox in unincorporated Berkeley County?
Is there a size cutoff for keeping a big cat?
What if I live outside a residential area?
Who is exempt from the wild-animal ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Berkeley County
Compare Berkeley County to another location·View the South Carolina animal ordinances overview
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