Iowa City, IA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Rescue Permits (2026)

Iowa City's prohibited-animals list in section 8-4-1 sweeps in most native wildlife: item Z of that list declares 'all wild animals indigenous to the State of Iowa' prohibited, alongside named groups like Procyonidae (raccoons), Canidae other than domestic dogs (foxes, coyotes), and Chiroptera (bats). Ordinarily, keeping any of these animals inside Iowa City requires a permit, or is outright barred if the species is on the prohibited list. Section 8-4-6 carves out a rehabilitation exemption from both the prohibited-animal ban in subsection A and the restricted-animal permit requirement in subsection B: indigenous wildlife rehabilitators who possess the required Iowa DNR permit may maintain that wildlife for rehabilitation.

The exemption does not require a separate Iowa City permit; the qualifying credential is the state DNR authorization itself. Both subsections also allow a prohibited or restricted animal to be transported to a veterinarian for emergency care and to remain at the clinic while under treatment. Outside those two carve-outs, anyone holding a raccoon, fox, or other prohibited species without a DNR rehabilitator permit is in violation of section 8-4-6(A), regardless of intent to help the animal.