Shawnee County, KS Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Article III of Chapter 5 bans exotic animal ownership outright rather than through a permit system. Sec. 5-1 defines 'domesticated' as 'bred for and adapted to use as a family pet capable of living within a household or to use as a product of animal husbandry generally accepted by the School of Agriculture at Kansas State University,' which sets the boundary for Sec. 5-90's ban. Sec. 5-91's exclusion list is narrow: it covers domestic dogs (unless hybridized with a wolf, coyote or fox), domestic cats (unless hybridized with a wild feline), domesticated rodents and European ferrets, rabbits, birds, nonvenomous snakes under eight feet and lizards, turtles, non-protected amphibians and fish, llamas, common livestock (horses, cows, buffalo, sheep, mules, donkeys, swine or goats), ostriches, and fallow and sika deer, plus animals held by licensed veterinary clinics, state-licensed rehabilitators, traveling circuses, accredited research institutions and licensed game breeders who don't breed hybrids.

Sec. 5-92 gives the county authority to sue in district court for confiscation; a judge may order immediate seizure by the sheriff if the animal poses an immediate danger, and upon conviction the court must order confiscation. An owner has 14 days after seizure to show the animal will be moved to a licensed facility or out of the county, or the animal is disposed of at the receiving facility's discretion.