Waco, TX Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 5-1 defines wild animal or wildlife broadly as any nondomestic mammal, amphibian, reptile, or fowl that is wild by nature and not naturally tame, and it names examples: big cats such as lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, and cougars (excluding domesticated cats and their hybrids); wolves, coyotes, and foxes (excluding domesticated dogs and hybrids); weasels, skunks, and badgers (excluding ferrets); raccoons; bears; monkeys and chimpanzees; bats; venomous snakes, Gila monsters, and crocodilians; and brown recluse and black widow spiders. Section 5-95(a) then bans possessing, keeping, or having care, custody, or control of any such animal within the city, and (b) separately bans selling, giving, transferring, or importing a wild animal into Waco.

Subsection (c) exempts temporary wildlife exhibitions holding the required state and federal permits, approved zoological parks, circuses, schools, colleges and universities, government-owned zoos, and animals that assist physically handicapped people. Subsection (d) gives a defense to prosecution for someone who keeps an infant or injured animal unable to survive on its own for 72 hours or less, or for whatever reasonable time it takes to hand the animal to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Because Section 5-3(e) makes chapter 5 offenses strict liability, prosecutors do not need to prove intent, and Section 5-3(d) lets ACOs and police tranquilize or trap any wild animal found in violation.