Eugene, OR Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Rescue Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Required staffing
- State-licensed wildlife rehabilitator on site
- Prohibited species
- Bears, wolves, cougars, carnivores over 80 lbs
- Commercial activity
- Breeding, sale or trade of wildlife banned
- Discontinuance rule
- 2 years if rezoned out of the use
- Governing section
- EC 9.5850
Summary
Eugene's EC 9.5850 Wildlife Care Center Standards let a property take in injured or orphaned wildlife for rehabilitation, but only if a state-licensed wildlife rehabilitator occupies the site, bears, wolves, cougars and other carnivores over 80 pounds are barred, and no commercial breeding, sale or trade of wildlife is allowed.
(1) Commercial activities are not allowed. Breeding or raising wildlife for sale or trade, or the sale or trade of animal products is not permitted. (2) All wildlife that are being cared for must be kept indoors or within an area that is bounded by a site-obscuring fence. Enclosures shall be designed and constructed in a manner that is sturdy enough to prevent escape and access to their interiors by unauthorized persons. ... (5) Bears, wolves and cougars are prohibited, along with any other carnivores over 80 pounds in weight. (6) At least 1 person licensed by the state of Oregon as a wildlife rehabilitator or conducting wildlife rehabilitation under the supervision of a licensed rehabilitator must occupy the property.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 20739, passed June 8, 2026).
Full Breakdown
EC 9.5850 sets the standards for a Wildlife Care Center use in Eugene's land use code. Commercial activity is barred outright: subsection (1) prohibits breeding or raising wildlife for sale or trade and the sale or trade of any animal products. Every animal being cared for has to stay indoors or inside a site-obscuring, escape-proof fence, sturdy enough to keep out unauthorized people (EC 9.5850(2)). Sanitation standards mirror the Urban Animal Keeping rules: waste can't harm the wildlife, residents or neighbors, odors can't cross the property line, and food has to sit in rodent- and pest-resistant containers (EC 9.5850(3)).
The center can't be designed or used for exotic or domestic animals (EC 9.5850(4)), and species-wise, bears, wolves and cougars are flatly prohibited, along with any other carnivore over 80 pounds (EC 9.5850(5)). Staffing is where the state licensing requirement lives: at least one person licensed by the State of Oregon as a wildlife rehabilitator, or working under a licensed rehabilitator's supervision, must occupy the property (EC 9.5850(6)). If the property's zoning changes so that a wildlife care center is no longer a permitted use, the operator has 2 years to discontinue it (EC 9.5850(7)).
Animals fit to survive in the wild have to be released within a reasonable time; those that can't survive on their own may be kept for off-site education or to help rehabilitate other animals, but only with the required state and federal licenses (EC 9.5850(8)). The section cross-references Eugene's separate Animal Regulations in EC Chapter 4 and Nuisance rules in EC Chapter 6.
Violations & Fines
Operating a wildlife care center without a resident state-licensed rehabilitator, keeping a prohibited species like a bear, wolf, cougar or other large carnivore, or running commercial breeding or sales, violates EC 9.5850 and is a land use code violation. EC 9.0275(2) sets the penalty at a fine of up to $1,000 per day the violation continues, or up to 100 days in jail, or both, and the city can revoke the use's zoning approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to run a wildlife rescue at my Eugene home?
Can a Eugene wildlife rescue take in a cougar or bear?
Can a wildlife rehab center in Eugene sell animals or animal products?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Eugene
Compare Eugene to another location·View the Oregon animal ordinances overview
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