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

Orange County Codified Ordinance 4-1-94 prohibits keeping any wild, exotic, dangerous, or non-domestic animal without first applying to and receiving a license from OC Animal Care; such animals must also conform to the County's zoning regulations for where they are kept. Getting a county license, however, does not override California's statewide restricted-species rules. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulates restricted live animals under Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations (section 671), and the state Fish & Game Code bars private possession of many species. Ferrets, for instance, are illegal to own anywhere in California regardless of any local license. So a prospective exotic-pet owner in unincorporated Orange County faces a two-layer test: first, the species must be legal to possess under California state law; second, an OCCO 4-1-94 license must be obtained from OC Animal Care and the animal kept consistent with County zoning. Because the list of restricted and prohibited species is extensive and changes, anyone considering an unusual animal should confirm both its state legality with CDFW and the county licensing requirement before acquiring it.