Dubuque, IA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Rescue Permits (2026)

City Code § 7-6D-3 makes it unlawful to keep, shelter, or harbor any of the thirteen groups of animals Dubuque classifies as dangerous per se, including bears, alligators, venomous snakes, and several wild mammal families. Section 7-6D-4 lists the circumstances where that ban does not apply, and subsection D covers wildlife rescue work specifically: the keeping of dangerous animals by a wildlife rescue organization is allowed only "with appropriate permit from the Iowa Conservation Commission or the Iowa Department of Natural Resources." Subsection E adds a related exemption for any dangerous animal that is under the jurisdiction of, and in the possession of, the Iowa Conservation Commission, referencing chapter 717F of the Iowa Code for animals the state itself is holding.

The same section separately exempts public zoos, accredited educational or medical institutions, museums, licensed traveling circuses, licensed veterinary hospitals treating the animal, and commercial pet shops licensed by the Iowa Department of Agriculture that post the notice required under § 7-6D-3. A rescue organization operating without the required state permit gets no protection from these exceptions and remains subject to the removal, seizure, and impoundment procedures in § 7-6D-7, including a City Manager order to surrender, relocate, or destroy the animal within three days and a seven-day impoundment if that order is not obeyed or successfully appealed to the City Council.