Peoria County, IL Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 5-11 of the Peoria County Code, part of the Animal Control chapter administered by the county's Animal Control Services department, prohibits any person from keeping, harboring, possessing, acting as custodian of, or having a property right in a wild animal. The only exceptions are zoos, veterinary hospitals, animal shelters, corporations, or individuals that are legally licensed by federal and/or state statute to hold such an animal, so a resident cannot keep a wild species simply by asserting personal responsibility or experience. A narrow carve-out exists for people who own or foster animals trained, or being trained, for service to persons with disabilities; anyone relying on that exception must produce documentation of fostering and training from a certified training organization if challenged.

Enforcement runs through the animal shelter manager or a delegate, who may impound an animal kept in violation of § 5-11 using the impoundment procedures in § 5-35 (the county's dangerous-dog impoundment and security-posting framework, applied here to wild-animal seizures). To get the animal back, the owner must pay the animal shelter the lawful fees that accrued under the chapter, show verification of any required licensing, and demonstrate an ability to conform to § 5-11 going forward, meaning a bare fee payment will not automatically result in the animal's return if the underlying housing or licensing problem persists.

Because § 5-11 sits inside Chapter 5 (Animals), general chapter enforcement tools apply as well, including the administrator's police powers under § 5-3 and the right of entry onto private premises to apprehend a prohibited animal under that same section.