Wild And Exotic Animals Banned As Pets In Arlington County

ARLINGTON, VA — The Arlington County Board voted Tuesday to prohibit residents from keeping wild and exotic animals as pets.

“What began as a seemingly straightforward effort to ban exotic pets in Arlington became much more complex and nuanced as the process evolved,” Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette said in a statement. “Ultimately, through a lot of conversation with the community, we were able to adopt a Code amendment that reaches a practical balance of the input received from all sides and is enforceable.”

The board voted unanimously to amend Chapter 2 of the County Code, which now prohibits the following animals as pets in the County, effective immediately:

• Non-human primates
• Raccoons
• Skunks
• Wolves or wolf hybrids
• Coyotes
• Squirrels
• Foxes
• Leopards
• Panthers
• Tigers
• Lions
• Bears
• Wild cats including hybrids (i.e., bobcat, lynx and caracal),
• Ratites (flightless birds)
• Crocodilians
• Venomous snakes, venomous reptiles
• Any other warm-blooded mammal that can normally be found in the wild state
• Members of the order Scorpiones (scorpions) other than those in the genus Pandinus, which are permitted
• Centipedes of the genus Scolopendra
• Spiders of the genus Latrodectus (widow spiders); spiders of the genus Loxosceles (recluse spiders); spiders of the family Dipluridae (funnel-web spiders); spiders of the genus Phoneutria (banana spiders aka wandering spiders); spiders of the family Ctenizidae (trap-door spiders); spiders of the genus Sicarius (sand spiders); and spiders of the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas), EXCEPT for Theraphosids native to North and South America and Brachypelma smithi (Mexican redknee tarantula), which are not permitted.

Rabbits, rats, mice, ferrets, hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas, hedgehogs, sugar gliders and guinea pigs that have been bred in captivity are excluded from the definition of “wild or exotic animal,” and are permitted as pets.

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According to the amendment, current owners of exotic animals can grandfather their pets through a registry process. Residents who already own exotic animals can register them in order to keep them legally.

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Photo: Arlington County Board