Pitt County, NC Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Rescue Permits (2026)

Part VI, Section 3's exemption list sits directly beneath the county's registration and ban requirements in Sections 1 and 2, which otherwise require anyone possessing a "Dangerous Exotic or Wild Animal", defined as Panthera genus animals, venomous amphibians, venomous reptiles, nonvenomous reptiles over 50 pounds at maturity, or wolves, to register with Animal Services within one year of the March 7, 2022 adoption and hold a Director-issued permit backed by $100,000 in liability coverage. Section 3 lifts that registration and ban requirement for lawfully operated pet shops, zoological gardens, scientific research laboratories, circuses, veterinarians, travelling zoos, zoos harboring the animals for professional medical treatment, "wildlife rehabilitators with proper permits," and USDA-licensed exhibitors displaying the animals for educational purposes.

Every one of those exemptions carries the same condition: the animals must be maintained in a manner that prevents escape. Because the exemption only reaches the county's own "dangerous exotic" list, it doesn't cover ordinary native wildlife, the ordinance's separate "Wild Animal" definition lists deer, bears, raccoons, skunks, squirrels and similar species, which fall outside Part VI entirely and are governed by state, not county, wildlife law.