Stearns County, MN Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Ordinance 439 Section 6.33.B ties exotic and dangerous animal ownership directly to state law: the keeping of Regulated Animals as defined in Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 346.155, is allowed only in accordance with that statute, and owners of Regulated Animals must register with the Stearns County Sheriff. Minnesota's Regulated Animal law covers species such as lions, tigers and other large cats, bears, and non-native venomous or constrictor reptiles above certain sizes, and generally bars new private possession while grandfathering animals registered by the statute's original deadline.

Because Section 6.33.B incorporates the state statute by reference rather than restating its terms, the substantive rules on which species are covered, permitted enclosures and grandfather status come from Minnesota Statutes section 346.155 itself, while the county's own role is the local registration requirement with the Sheriff's Office. The same Section 6.33 also separately requires petting zoo owners to be licensed and registered with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service under the federal Animal Welfare Act, 7 U.S.C. section 2133, and to meet the county's feedlot standards in Section 6.9 for any animal-density aspect of the operation.