Waynesville, MO Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 215.120, titled "Wild Creatures," makes it "unlawful for any person to keep, permit or have custody of any of the following anywhere in the City": a wild creature kept contrary to federal, state or local laws or regulations; an imported creature subject to special permit and licensing by the State Department of Agriculture; or any non-domestic animal. Because the third clause bars "any non-domestic animal" outright, the section functions as a blanket exotic-pet ban rather than a list of named prohibited species, reaching everything from a pet primate or big cat to a non-native reptile that has not been permitted through the State Department of Agriculture.

The section sits in Article 215-I, General Provisions, alongside the city's rules on tethering, rabies control and animal cruelty, and it is enforced the same way: the Animal Control Officer investigates a reported wild or exotic animal, and Waynesville Police back that enforcement citywide. Section 212.020 separately adopts the Missouri Wildlife Code by reference for state-regulated wildlife matters such as hunting, but § 215.120's ban on keeping a non-domestic animal in the city is the local ordinance's own, independent restriction on private ownership. Section 215.120 was adopted by Ord. No. 2152 on April 16, 2015, and has not been amended since.