Stockton, CA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 6.04.020 defines "wild animal" broadly enough to cover exotic pets generally, not just the listed examples: any animal that is not ordinarily and customarily domesticated. Section 6.04.470 then bans keeping or maintaining one anywhere in the City, subject only to the exceptions in § 6.04.480: wild animals confined in a licensed zoo, a state or locally licensed educational facility, or a museum where they are kept as live specimens for public viewing, and wild animals confined and placed on exhibit as part of a permitted circus, carnival or other public exhibition or show. There is no private-keeper permit, no size or species carve-out, and no grandfathering provision anywhere in this chapter for someone who already owns a wild animal; the ban is unconditional outside the two listed institutional settings. A separate 24-hour transit exception in §§ 6.04.450 and 6.04.460 allows a wild animal, reptile or bee colony to merely pass through the City without violating the chapter.