Pima County, AZ Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Rescue Permits (2026)

Pima County's zoning code splits animal-care uses into two very different tracks. 020(M): no conditional use permit or public hearing is required. The only conditions are that the facility be operated and directly supervised by someone who holds a valid Arizona state license to run a wildlife rehabilitation facility, or a license to hold wildlife for education, science or humane treatment when the animal can't fend for itself in the wild, and that the site otherwise comply with the zone's ordinary development standards, meaning setbacks, height, lot coverage and parking.

97 in most residential and rural zones, plus a site plan, hearing administrator review of animal counts, and compliance with Title 6 of the county code. 020(O) makes clear the heavier Section N conditional-use requirements apply only to the domestic and non-wildlife animals on site; animals under the jurisdiction of the Arizona Game and Fish Department stay under the lighter Section M rules. In practice, a Tucson-area resident running a backyard raptor or javelina rehab operation under an Arizona Game and Fish license doesn't need a county hearing to operate, but still has to keep enclosures, fencing and structures within the zone's normal setback and coverage limits, and loses the exemption the moment the property starts keeping rescued dogs or cats without also meeting Section N.