Sonoma County, CA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Sonoma County does not publish a separate list of banned exotic pets for its unincorporated areas; the controlling rules are California's statewide restricted-species laws administered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The restricted species list in Title 14, Section 671 of the California Code of Regulations, together with the Fish and Game Code, bars the importation, transport, and possession of a long list of wild and exotic animals without a CDFW permit. Animals that are legal pets in many other states, including ferrets, hedgehogs, and sugar gliders, are not legal to keep as pets in California, and broad categories such as monkeys and other primates, most wild cats, bears, foxes, raccoons, skunks, and alligators are also prohibited as pets. CDFW issues permits only for limited purposes such as research, public exhibition, education, or shelter, not for keeping a wild animal as a household pet. Common domesticated animals (dogs, cats, most birds, and standard livestock species like cattle, sheep, goats, and swine) are not restricted. Because these prohibitions are statewide, they apply in unincorporated Sonoma County the same as elsewhere in California. Anyone considering an unusual animal should confirm its status with CDFW before acquiring it.