Skokie, IL Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 18-8(2) of the Skokie Village Code prohibits any person from keeping, harboring or maintaining any species which may endanger the safety of persons or property, defined to include species, other than commonly recognized domestic pets, that may harm or injure humans by injection of toxins, by constriction or suffocation, or by vicious biting, scratching or mauling. The ordinance closes an obvious loophole: it states plainly that it is no defense that the keeper of a prohibited species has attempted to domesticate it, so a private owner cannot claim a venomous snake or big cat has been tamed to escape the ban.

The only carve-outs are species displayed or harbored under the auspices of a governmental agency, such as a zoo or a State wildlife program, and Beekeeping conducted under the permit system in Article IV of the same chapter, Sections 18-81 through 18-85. The Director of Public Health serves as the Village's ex officio Animal Control Officer under Section 18-6 and, together with the Skokie Police Department, is responsible for enforcement. Because a violation is not tied to a bite or attack, the Village does not need to wait for an injury: possessing the prohibited species is itself the offense, distinguishing Section 18-8(2) from the Dangerous Animal and Vicious Animal designations in Sections 18-61 and 18-62, which apply after an incident involving an animal that could otherwise be lawfully kept.