Woodbury, MN Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Woodbury's City Code (Chapter 5) prohibits any person from owning, caring for, or having custody or control of non-domestic animals within the city. The ordinance gives examples such as tigers, lions, bears and primates, and its definitions reach any member of the cat family (felidae) including lions, tigers, cougars, bobcats, leopards and jaguars, and any naturally wild member of the canine family (canidae) including wolves, foxes, coyotes, dingoes and jackals. Recognized domesticated house cats and domesticated dogs are excluded from the prohibition. The city allows limited exceptions for situations such as a traveling circus, zoo, exhibit or similar use. Woodbury's local rule works alongside Minnesota state law: in 2004 the Legislature passed a regulated-animal law, effective January 1, 2005, that makes it illegal for most individuals to obtain regulated animals (including large cats, bears and primates). Woodbury's ordinance further regulates the possession and obtaining of these regulated animals within the city. Residents considering an unusual pet should not assume a species is allowed simply because it is small; the safest course is to confirm with the Police Department or city staff whether the animal falls within the non-domestic prohibition or the state's regulated-animal list before acquiring it.