West Haven, CT Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Section 170-34 of the West Haven Code was added 9-14-1998 by Ord. No. 372. Subsection A says no person shall walk, carry or permit any wild or nondomesticated animal owned by him or in his custody, including horses, reptiles and exotic birds, in or upon any property under the jurisdiction of the West Haven Board of Parks and Recreation without a permit issued by the Board of Parks and Recreation. The permit comes from the Board, while the reserved-use and music permits elsewhere in Chapter 170 come from the Department of Parks and Recreation.

The scope is park property. The section governs where such an animal can go, so the rule follows the animal into a park or onto property the Board controls. It contains no list of animals banned from ownership in the City of West Haven, and it does not address keeping an animal at home.

Subsection B makes the owner or person having custody responsible for removing, and immediately removing, any solid waste the animal produces. Subsection C sets the penalty at not more than $100 for each offense, with a separate offense for each day a violation occurs or continues. That is double the general Chapter 170 ceiling of $50 in § 170-32.

Related park rules apply at the same time. Section 170-24 bars injuring, damaging or disturbing any bird, bird's nest or eggs or any animal, wild or tame, within any park or recreation area. Domestic animals in a park or recreation area must be restrained by a leash, chain or cord no greater than six feet in length (§ 170-28), and on a beach within the City of West Haven they are allowed only on the paved walkways, leashed (§ 170-15C).