San Francisco prohibits keeping wild and exotic animals as pets under SF Health Code Article 1, aligning with California Fish and Game Code Section 2118 restricted species list. Permits are rarely granted outside of education and research.
SF Animal Care and Control enforces a strict ban on inherently dangerous wild animals including big cats, primates, venomous reptiles, crocodilians, wolves, and most non-domesticated species. California state law (Fish & Game Code 2118 and CCR Title 14, Section 671) restricts ownership statewide, and SF imposes additional local constraints. Common pets like dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets (banned statewide in CA), and small caged birds are unaffected. Service applications for educational, scientific, or rehabilitation use require state permits and ACC notification.
Keeping prohibited species, breeding restricted animals without permits, or failing to surrender confiscated wildlife to ACC results in seizure and misdemeanor charges.
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See how San Francisco's exotic pets rules stack up against other locations.
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