Arvada, CO Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Rescue Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Arvada City Code § 14-91(c)(1)
- Who qualifies
- state-licensed wildlife rehabilitator, falconer, or collector
- Condition
- must comply with city Code and zoning rules
- Related provision
- § 14-55(c) nuisance wild animal release path
- Max fine if lapsed
- $2,650.00 (§ 1-5)
Summary
Arvada's ban on owning wild and exotic animals does not reach a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, falconer, or scientific collection permit holder. City Code Section 14-91(c) exempts anyone currently licensed by Colorado's wildlife agency, and a state-licensed veterinary hospital, from the prohibited-animals list in Section 14-91(a), as long as they still comply with all other city Code and zoning provisions.
(c)Nothing herein shall prohibit the bona fide activities of the following:(1)A wildlife rehabilitator, falconer, or scientific collection permit holder currently licensed by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, so long as such licensee or permit holder complies with all applicable city Code and zoning ordinance provisions; or(2)A veterinary hospital operated by a veterinarian currently licensed by the state which complies with all applicable city Code and zoning ordinance provisions.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Council Policy Manual: Supplement 1 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67).
Full Breakdown
Section 14-91 of the Arvada City Code bans owning, having custody of, or trafficking in a list of wild and exotic species, from venomous snakes to bears to non-domesticated felines. " A second carve-out in the same subsection covers a veterinary hospital operated by a state-licensed veterinarian that likewise complies with the city's Code and zoning ordinances. The exemption is conditional, not blanket: it only protects "bona fide" rehabilitation, falconry, or scientific-collection activity actually covered by the person's current state license, and it is lost the moment the licensee falls out of compliance with any applicable city Code or zoning provision, such as an animal-enclosure or setback rule.
Chapter 14 elsewhere reinforces the rehabilitator's role in wildlife cases: Section 14-55(c), on animals found trespassing or creating a nuisance, allows a nuisance wild animal that has been humanely restrained to be released to an animal management officer, transported to the animal shelter, taken to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility, or relocated under state wildlife regulations, giving a state-licensed rehabilitator a defined path to lawfully take custody of that animal in Arvada.
Violations & Fines
A person who keeps a prohibited wild animal without a qualifying state license, or who lets their rehabilitator or falconry license lapse while still possessing the animal, is exposed to the same Section 14-7 penalty as any other prohibited-animal violation: up to $2,650.00 in fines under Section 1-5, up to 364 days in jail, or both, with continued possession chargeable day by day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a wildlife rehabber legally keep injured animals in Arvada?
Does the rehabilitator exemption cover any species, no matter how dangerous?
Who can take custody of a nuisance wild animal caught in Arvada?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Arvada
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